Pacific Islands Forum opens in Palau with at least five leaders absent
The Pacific Islands Forum opened in Palau on Monday with at least five of its member leaders absent, officials confirmed, hours before the start of the annual summit. The gathering is taking place against a backdrop of heightened China-Taiwan tensions, with Beijing having protested Taiwan's participation and issued a travel advisory declaring Palau "unsafe" for tourists.
Palau, which hosts the 18-member forum, is one of only three Pacific nations that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, alongside Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has objected to Taiwan's inclusion among the aid partners invited to the meeting, which also include China, Singapore, Japan, Britain, and the United States.
"The Pacific is our home, not a theatre for geopolitical competition," Palau President Surangel Whipps said in an interview on Sunday. He urged that tensions between the Pacific's partners should not detract from island priorities such as renewable energy, drug crime, food security, and climate change.
The forum's agenda includes economic development and regional integration, under the theme U. — Building Economies: Life. Action. Unity." Whipps said the theme reflects the need to turn regional cooperation into tangible benefits.
Absences
At least five leaders are not attending the summit: the prime ministers of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands, along with Kiribati's president. Most are expected to be represented by ministers or senior officials, according to statements and officials.
Samoa's government said its delegation would be led by the deputy prime minister. Fiji's delegation is being led by the foreign minister, and it is not known whether the prime minister might join at a later stage, according to officials. The prime minister of Vanuatu and the head of government of the French territory of New Caledonia are also skipping the summit.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale unexpectedly left Palau on Sunday to return home for a no-confidence motion lodged against his leadership. Home Affairs Minister Manasseh Maelanga cited Wale's failure to consult on key decisions when moving the motion. Wale was elected in May, replacing a government that had strengthened ties with Beijing and signed a security pact with China.
Kiribati President Taneti Maamau could not travel to the forum because parliament was sitting and flights were limited, officials said. Kiribati began the process of embedding ties to Beijing in its constitution last week, according to reports.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters described Kiribati's absence as "hugely disappointing" and did not disagree when asked if foreign interference was involved. "You'd be defying gravity and logic if you said it wasn't a big problem," he told journalists in Palau.
Regional unity concerns
The absences are attributed to domestic or scheduling considerations rather than a coordinated decision, according to officials. However, analysts say the fragmented turnout could complicate efforts to project unity.
Oliver Nobetau, Pacific analyst at the Lowy Institute, said the leaders' absence may weaken any joint Pacific statement on the Chinese missile test that landed in the Pacific Ocean in July. A Pacific Island foreign ministers' meeting in Suva earlier this month failed to agree on a collective response to that test.
New Zealand's Peters said it remained unclear whether leaders would be able to agree on a common position in Palau. He urged the forum to focus on outcomes rather than discussions. "We want more doing, less hui," he said.
Energy security is expected to be among the immediate priorities, with Peters noting that disruptions to oil supplies were one of the region's most pressing concerns. He foreshadowed an announcement on relief measures that could come within days.
The forum has brought dialogue partners including the US, China, Japan, and Singapore back into the fold after they were excluded from last year's gathering in Honiara. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is expected to attend, as is China's Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs Qian Bo. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung is present at the forum.
Australia has led efforts for the Pacific to provide its own security, arguing there is no need for China to have police in Kiribati and the Solomons. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in Palau on Monday to lead Australia's delegation, joined by Climate Minister Chris Bowen and Pacific Minister Pat Conroy. New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Luxon is also making a last-minute dash, arriving for just one full day.
Organisers expect to welcome around 2,000 visitors to Koror this week, and around 110 police drawn from various Pacific islands will provide security at the forum.