China warned Taiwan of “consequences” after officials from Beijing and Taipei attended a ceremonial event at the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Palau, adding to tensions around a meeting where leaders had already urged major powers not to turn the gathering into a geopolitical contest.
The annual summit of the 18 member states and territories of the Pacific Islands Forum opened on Monday in Koror, Palau. China, the United States and Taiwan are not members of the forum, but competition for influence in the region’s oceans and strategically important locations again threatened to overshadow the meeting. Host President Surangel Whipps Jr told partner countries that the forum’s work must be left to its members.
Some friction had been expected because Palau, a western Pacific island nation near the Philippines with close ties to the US, is among the 11 countries and the Vatican that recognise Taiwan, which Beijing says is part of China. Ahead of the summit, Whipps hosted joint events with Taiwan’s representative, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, and at the opening ceremony placed the envoys from Beijing and Taipei in the same row, though they were seated in separate blocks.
After the event, China’s representative, Pacific envoy Qian Bo, told reporters in Koror that the presence of Taiwanese officials was “very inappropriate”. Asked whether there would be consequences for Taiwan, Qian said there would “always be consequences”. He denied that the remarks were a threat and gave no further details. Beijing has long tried to keep Taipei out of international summits through diplomatic pressure. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Taiwan was not a dialogue partner or development partner of the forum and was therefore in no position to take part in the event’s activities.
Lin rejected the suggestion that his participation was not legitimate. He accused Beijing of dividing the region and “blaming the problems” on others. “If we go to a party, we always follow the directions of the host,” Lin said in Koror. “However, whenever China goes to a party, it makes itself as if it’s the host and China ruins the whole atmosphere of the party.”
China’s criticism came at the end of an event where Whipps urged major powers at the forum not to interfere. “Our partners are welcome to sail with us but they do not choose our destination,” he said in a speech. “The Pacific agenda must be driven by us and for us.” In recent years, powerful countries have moved quickly to strengthen ties in the Pacific, deepening a contest for influence involving China, the US, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. The growing attention has changed the annual leaders’ meeting from a relatively informal gathering into a summit with 2,000 attendees. Non-member countries invited to attend are called partners, with China holding dialogue partner status and Taiwan registered as a development partner. Taiwan’s attendance has angered Beijing before, and the issue led to partner countries being barred from last year’s meeting in Solomon Islands.
Pacific leaders often try to keep the focus on issues they say matter most to them, including climate change and the economic strain linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and the start of the Iran war. Many of these countries depend on foreign aid, tourism and costly imported fuel. But over the past decade, major powers have stepped up efforts to secure access to Pacific waters and ports through security deals, funding, immigration access and other incentives, putting pressure on the leaders’ ability to speak with one voice. In a recent example, the forum’s foreign ministers failed to agree on a statement criticising Beijing’s launch of a ballistic missile into the South Pacific Ocean in July. Most member states strongly opposed China’s action, but two refused to back the proposed statement, so none was issued. Several Pacific leaders also missed this year’s summit. While some absences had been flagged in advance because of ill health or domestic politics, analysts said others may have stayed away under pressure from Beijing, though those attending played down concerns that representation by senior officials instead of national leaders would affect the discussions. Overall, the summit opened with Pacific leaders trying to keep the focus on regional priorities even as the China-Taiwan dispute and wider power rivalry again pushed their way into the meeting.
With PTI Inputs
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