By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr says it is “a missed opportunity” not to include partners at next mont’s Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ summit.
However, Whipps said he respects the position of the Solomon Islands, as hosts, to exclude more than 20 countries that are not members the regional organisation.
The Solomon Islands is blocking all external partners from attending the PIF leaders’ week in Honiara from September 8-12.
The decision means that nations such as the United States and China (dialogue partners), and Taiwan (a development partner), will be shut out of the regional gathering.
Whipps Jr told RNZ Pacific that although he has accepted the decision, he was not happy about it.
“These are Forum events; they need to be treated as Forum events. They are not Solomon Islands events, [nor] are Palau events,” Whipps said.
“It is so important for any Pacific [Islands] Forum meeting that we have all our partners there. It is a missed opportunity not to have our partners attending the meeting in the Solomon Islands, but they are the host.”
‘Space’ for leaders
Last week, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele said the decision gave leaders space to focus on a review of how the PIF engaged with diplomatic partners, through reforms under PIF’s Partnership and Engagement Mechanism.
Solomon Islands opposition MP Peter Kenilorea Jr said that the move was about disguising the fact that the Manele administration was planning on blocking Taiwan from entering the country.
“The way I see it is definitely, 100 percent, to do with China and Taiwan,” he said.
Kenilorea said he was concerned there would still be bilateral meetings on the margins, which would be easy for countries with diplomatic missions in Solomon Islands, like China and the US, but not for Taiwan.
“There might be delegations coming through that might have bilaterials that make a big deal out of it, the optics and the narratives that will be coming out of those, if they do happen [they] are out of the control of the Pacific Islands Forum architecture, which is another hit to regionalism.”
Palau, Tuvalu and Marshall Islands are the remaining Pacific countries that have ties with Taiwan.
The Guardian reported that Tuvalu was now considering not attending the leaders’ summit.
Tuvalu disappointed
Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said he would wait to see how other Pacific leaders responded before deciding whether to attend. He was disappointed at the exclusion.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was concerned.
“We have advocated very strongly for the status quo. That actually the Pacific Islands Forum family countries come together, and then the dialogue partners, who are from all over the world can be present as well.”
President Whipps said all would be welcome, including China, at the Pacific Islands Forum next year hosted in Palau.
He said it was important for Pacific nations to work together despite differences.
“Everybody has their own sovereignty, they have their own partners and they have their reasons for what they do. We respect that,” he said.
“What’s most important is we find ways to come together.”
Know the reason
Kenilorea said other Solomon Islands MPs knew the deferral was about China and Taiwan but he was the only one willing to mention it.
Solomon Islands switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China in 2019. In 2022 the island nation signed a security pact with China.
“If [the deferral] had happened earlier in our [China and Solomon Islands] relationship, I would have thought you would have heard more leaders saying how it is.
“But we are now six years down the track of our switch and leaders are not as vocal as they used to be anymore.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
