Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te (2nd-L) and Defence Minister Wellington Koo (3rd-L) inspect a drone operation at a navy base during annual Han Kuang military exercise in Kaohsiung, August 8, 2026. (AFP Photo)
August 08, 2026 10:58 AM GMT+03:00
Taiwan will attend this month’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Palau after being excluded from last year’s gathering, a regional official said Friday.
The Aug. 30-Sept. 4 meeting will bring together Pacific Island leaders, with Taiwan participating as an important development partner to the region.
“Taiwan is a very important development partner. It is not a dialogue partner, however it engages with members of our forum family,” Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa told reporters after ministers from 18 member states met in Fiji.
Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are among Taiwan’s 12 remaining diplomatic partners.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes the self-governed island’s participation in international organizations and exchanges with other countries.
More to Read
Taiwan returns after exclusion from last year’s summit
Pacific Islands Forum members Nauru, Kiribati and Solomon Islands have all switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing since 2019.
Solomon Islands, which hosted last year’s leaders meeting, blocked Taiwan from attending. The dispute resulted in all external countries being disinvited despite Pacific Island states’ reliance on foreign aid and investment.
“This year it is an open invitation,” said Rick Hou, foreign minister in the Solomon Islands government that took office in May.
The new government has moved quickly to repair relations with the U.S., Japan and Australia.
A Taiwanese military Tactical-2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flies during a combat-readiness training in Chang-Hua County, August 6, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Pacific states divided over China missile statement
Forum members were also still negotiating a joint statement condemning China’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the Pacific last month, Waqa said.
He confirmed that Nauru and Kiribati had taken positions different from other members.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Friday accused two unnamed states of appeasing “outsiders” after the meeting failed to reach agreement on the statement.
“Everyone wants that statement out,” Waqa later said, adding that the disagreement centered on whether the wording should focus specifically on China’s missile test or address all missile testing in the Pacific.
The U.S. also conducts ballistic missile tests in the northern Pacific under a defense agreement with the Marshall Islands.
Pacific Island states also agreed to step up efforts to invite world leaders to a special U.N. climate change event in Tuvalu in October.
Tuvalu faces the risk of being submerged by rising sea levels.
August 08, 2026 10:58 AM GMT+03:00
