Author: TMC Palau

Many participants at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau this week would like to talk about anything but great power rivalry: transnational crime, energy security, climate change, development finance, seabed minerals, transport links. By Anne-Marie Brady for The ConversationInstead, the meeting has been pulled toward the question that now shadows every Pacific regional gathering: what happens when the world’s great powers decide your part of the world is strategically important?The answer does not have to involve choosing between them. For the Pacific’s small states, a more useful approach could be to seek shelter collectively.Shelter theory was developed to explain a…

Analysis – This week’s Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Palau contains so much flexing it’s a geopolitical workout.Palau – a republic in free association with the United States – invited Taiwan to attend, and Taiwan’s Foreign Minister, Lin Chia-lung, leapt at the opportunity.China was appalled and warned “there would be consequence”, while Australia’s prime minister returned serve saying, “the Pacific Islands Forum determines what happens here, not any other country”.But keeping China at bay isn’t simple with a Reuters’ report in 2018 suggesting 11 South Pacific island nations were in debt to China by around $1.3 billion, an increase from…

Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Sakiasi Ditoka. [Photo: FIJI GOVERNMENT/ FACEBOOK] Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Sakiasi Ditoka, has praised Fijians living and working in Palau for their contribution to both Fiji and their host country, describing them as Fiji’s everyday ambassadors. Speaking during a talanoa session with members of the Fijian community in Palau, Ditoka said Fijians overseas have an important responsibility to respect the laws, customs and traditions of their host country while maintaining a strong connection with their Fijian heritage. He says Fijians in Palau are making valuable contributions across a range of…

Flags of member states fly outside the summit venue for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, on August 30, 2026. Photo: VCGThe 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders’ Meeting opened on August 31 in Palau, while a “collective absence” of several leaders drew significant attention to this event which was intended to showcase regional unity. At least five Pacific leaders have pulled out of the annual meeting, including the prime ministers of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands, as well as the president of Kiribati. It remained uncertain until the 11th hour whether the president of Nauru would…

in briefGeopolitical tensions over Taiwan are hanging over the annual Pacific Islands Forum in Palau.However, island leaders insist local climate threats and rising drug crime take priority.China and Taiwan’s diplomatic tug-of-war is casting a shadow over the ongoing Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as a handful of national leaders declined to attend — however, experts on the ground caution that a geopolitical focus risks ignoring the core priorities of Australia’s neighbours.The annual 18-member gathering in the Taiwanese-allied nation of Palau opened on Monday with climate change, economic security, and the rising influence of the transnational drug trade top of the agenda.China…

A tiny island nation in Micronesia is about to get more direct flights from Australia.This year, Australia became Palau’s fastest-growing major tourism market. While the visitor numbers are still small, they are increasing quickly.The destination sits southwest of Guam and north of Indonesia, and is about a six-hour flight from Brisbane.On Wednesday it was announced Qantas would increase its weekly service between the Queensland capital and Koror (Palau’s largest city) to twice a week services during the peak season, which is December through to the end of March.And the Aussie airline would continue flying there weekly through to at least…

At the opening ceremony of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in Palau on Sunday, China’s Pacific envoy, Qian Bo, spoke with the media and threatened there would be ‘consequences’ from Taiwan’s presence. Qian said he’d make very clear China’s strong objection in his official remarks at the forum’s session with its dialogue partners, including Australia and the United States. Well, that didn’t happen. Qian’s brief statement to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders made no mention of Taiwan. There was just a brief perfunctory statement that there was only one China.  It was muted, almost timid, and included none of…

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung speaks at a press conference in Koror, Palau, on Sept. 1, 2026. (Kyodo) KOROR, Palau (Kyodo) — Taiwan has defended its participation in the annual Pacific Islands Forum being held in Palau this week, telling member states not to let China “impose” its position on smaller island nations after a Chinese envoy made an issue of its presence. China’s special envoy for Pacific island affairs Qian Bo warned of “consequences” without elaborating after Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung attended the forum’s opening ceremony on Monday. …

Generating an immediate $10 million economic injection in Palau and cutting overseas revenue leakage by half across the South Pacific, point-to-point flight corridors are rewriting the economic realities of remote island archipelagos. The Local Trend: Dismantling the Historic Pacific “Transit Tax” For decades, remote Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia struggled under the structural weight of what aviation economists term the “transit tax.” Reaching remote atolls required travelers to endure multi-stop itineraries through intermediary gateways like Manila, Taipei, Guam, Honolulu, or Nadi—wasting up to four days of vacation time in international transit lounges. This friction imposed…

A Pacific community health organisation says Pasifika families caring for disabled relatives are facing significant financial strain, with no clear indication of what additional support they can get.Parliament passed the government’s Disability Support Services Bill at its third reading on Tuesday.Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston said the legislation was a step closer to a future carers’ package.The Disability Support Services Bill, which had received submissions from more than 3000 people, looks to provide a legal framework for the delivery of disability support services (DSS) funded by the New Zealand taxpayer.Disability Issues Minister Louise UpstonRNZ / Marika KhabaziHowever, it remains unclear…