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 aid partner, urged the region to send a strong message.
“That’s definitely something that we’ll be discussing today [yesterday], and a unified Pacific voice is critical in getting Beijing to respect sovereignty, to respect transparency, and to be a responsible partner,” Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr told reporters.
“I think that’s the message that we should be sending to Beijing,” Whipps said. “So it’s important we have a unified position and we’ll work on that.”
He said that Beijing had “threatened and really disrespected” the region with the test of the rocket, which monitors said appeared to land in the ocean somewhere between the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu.
“They never bothered to tell us that that’s what’s happening,” he said.
Beijing said the test launch was “a routine arrangement of China’s annual military training” and that “relevant countries were informed in advance.”
The PIF yesterday had a leaders’ retreat, during which officials were expected to hammer out the wording for a joint communique.
Meanwhile, Chinese Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs Qian Bo (錢波) said that there would be “consequences” after Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) attended the PIF opening ceremony.
On Wednesday, Taiwan and its three Pacific allies reaffirmed their commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in a joint statement.
The statement — which was signed by Lin, Whipps, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine and Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo — also expressed support for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, a regional framework aimed at addressing shared challenges and promoting sustainable development.
The statement was signed during the 30th Taiwan/Republic of China Forum Countries Dialogue, hosted by Whipps alongside the PIF.
At the Taiwan forum, Lin exchanged views with the leaders of diplomatic allies on talent development and regional exchanges, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Lin proposed integrating education, training, employment and skills assessment, drawing on Taiwan’s experience in vocational education to help its allies cultivate talent that meets the needs of their societies and industries, the ministry said.
The initiative aims to improve the employability of young people and build a stronger talent base for their countries’ long-term development, it said.
The leaders also explored the feasibility of using funds from allies to invest in Taiwan’s capital markets, and expanding cooperation in areas including finance, industry and economic development, the ministry said.
Although the international landscape has continued to change, Taiwan has remained committed to working with its Pacific partners in a pragmatic and mutually beneficial way to address shared challenges, Lin said.
Additional reporting by Huang Ching-hsuan
