Author: TMC Palau

Pacific leaders have agreed to call for greater transparency around missile testing in the Pacific but the region’s push for a united position on China’s recent missile test has revealed a rare split.The final communiqué from the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau records Naoero’s (formerly Nauru) dissent over the missile statement – the only recorded break from consensus during the meeting.Leaders expressed concern about China’s intercontinental ballistic missile test in July, which overflew several Pacific countries without advance warning.They called on all countries carrying out such tests to provide at least 24 hours’ notice and respect the…

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the Pacific needs to rethink how it works with its development partners, arguing countries seeking a place at the table must be ready to put money and expertise into the region’s priorities.Speaking to journalists in Palau ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ retreat, Luxon said he wanted to see a more organised system for dealing with the growing number of countries and organisations working across the Pacific.His comments come as Pacific leaders push for the Forum to move from agreements and statements to action that makes a difference for their people.“If you…

China is seeking answers from the United States after a Chinese national died hours after being taken into US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).The Associated Press (AP) reported that Lianyong Wei, 51, died on 23 August at a hospital in Saipan after he was found unresponsive at the local detention facility.Wei had been arrested on 21 August by the CNMI Department of Public Safety on criminal charges stemming from an alleged assault on a family of five at their home, according to ICE.He was transferred to ICE custody the following…

The Pacific Islands Forum has again failed to condemn China for its missile test, instead walking a middle ground and “registering concern” over the show of force.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese left Palau on Thursday after this year’s summit, following the leaders-only retreat which brought the week-long talks to a close.The 18 PIF representatives made a number of reforms, including splitting  dialogue partners into a two-tiered system, and adding a new annual police ministers gathering to the regional calendar. The Pacific Island leaders moved from the open forum to behind closed doors. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) The week in Palau has been…

The Pacific Islands Forum has again failed to condemn China for its missile test, instead walking a middle ground and “registering concern” over the show of force.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese left Palau on Thursday after this year’s summit, following the leaders-only retreat which brought the week-long talks to a close.The 18 PIF representatives made a number of reforms, including splitting dialogue partners into a two-tiered system, and adding a new annual police ministers gathering to the regional calendar.Sign up to The Nightly’s newsletters.Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.By…

National Goal 4 of the preamble of Papua New Guinea’s Constitution calls for the wise use of PNG’s resources for the current generation and for future generations. My central argument is that the wise use of PNG’s natural resources, from its constitutional foundation and apart from the interests of developers, should accommodate the interests of five main entities: the individual, the family, the village, the land, and the state or government. This, it is argued, can best be described as “concentric constitutionalism”, and it is to be differentiated from anthropocentric and ecocentric constitutionalism. Anthropocentric constitutionalism is the prevailing view in…

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RNZ’s Teuila Fuatai in Koror, PalauThe Solomon Islands is asking its fellow Pacific Island Forum (PIF) members to reconsider the presence of dialogue partners at the regional body’s annual leaders meeting, RNZ Pacific understands.The issue was raised at a closed meeting of the PIF on Wednesday morning in Palau, with the Solomon Islands asking members to consider whether the leaders meeting should be separate from the dialogue partners’ process, RNZ Pacific understands.The presence of partners at the annual leaders’ meeting has been a contentious issue over the past few years.Each year, a partners dialogue meeting is held as part of…

Arabic version: أستراليا وبالاو تسعيان إلى إدانة دول المحيط الهادئ لاختبار صاروخي صينيAccording to ABC News, Australia and Palau will press Pacific Islands Forum leaders to clearly condemn China’s recent ballistic missile test when they meet in Palau. The forum’s annual leaders’ retreat is being held at a residence owned by the family of Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr.A submarine from the People’s Liberation Army Navy in the South China Sea fired a missile with a dummy warhead more than 7,000 kilometres into the Pacific in July. It landed just outside Tuvalu’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Pacific nations issued strong criticism…

Palau’s president yesterday called for a “unified” Pacific response to a missile test by China in July, while Taiwan and its Pacific allies a day earlier at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) reaffirmed their commitment to peace, stability and prosperity.China gave only a handful of nations short notice before test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile in July, sparking condemnation from several Pacific leaders.The 18-member PIF being held in Palau was expected to release a communique after press time last night, with a formal response to the test possibly included. Photo: AFP Palau, which invited Taiwan to attend sideline events as an…