Taiwan Returns to Annual Pacific Islands Forum as China Tensions Loom
REPORTER:
Taiwan is returning to the annual Pacific Islands Forum, hosted this year by allied country, Palau.
It marks a restoration of the delicate status quo at the regional conference, which from Saturday will bring together representatives from 18 island member states along with regional partners, including the US, Japan, and China.
These countries have “dialogue partner” status, allowing them to take part in official sessions and policy discussions.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has participated as a “development partner” since 1993—a more limited role that allows it to support the bloc and hold events on the sidelines.
For Taiwan, that provides a platform to engage Pacific countries as China expands its presence in the region.
Taiwan has diplomatic ties with just three Pacific island countries: Palau, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.
William Chung (ASSISTANT RESEARCH FELLOW, INDSR):
Besides increased visibility, Taiwan should use the opportunity to conduct multilateral diplomacy on the sidelines. Another important point is to actively seek partnerships with dialogue partners, especially the US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, which are countries that are more friendly to Taiwan.
REPORTER:
But Taiwan’s presence has long been a source of tension with China and reflects the complex geopolitics surrounding the forum.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes the country’s participation in international organizations.
For Pacific Island countries, the challenge is balancing their own interests with competing relationships with Taiwan, China and other regional powers.
Last year, the Solomon Islands -- which cut off diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2019 in favor of China -- blocked all non-member states from the forum.
It reportedly followed Beijing’s attempt to exclude Taiwan, but the ban also shut out China.
Graeme Smith (SENIOR FELLOW, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY):
Everyone who attended said, wasn't that great. There was no, you know, geopolitical distraction. There was no sort of China-Taiwan theater, which has dominated a lot of the forums in the past and is viewed as kind of an annoyance, if anything, by a lot of PIF members.
REPORTER:
When Taiwan and China last attended the forum together in Tonga in 2024, tensions were more visible.
China objected to language in the final communique reaffirming the bloc’s relations with Taiwan. That section was later removed.
And earlier this month, Pacific foreign ministers failed to agree on whether to condemn China’s July missile launch.
Two members abstained, sparking renewed criticism that outside powers are influencing the forum’s decisions.
Winston Peters (NEW ZEALAND FOREIGN MINISTER):
What's very clearly the case is although we mean when we call ourselves the Pacific, exactly that there are some countries that are using the need for consensus to actually respond to outside partners' wishes rather than those that belong to the Pacific Islands Forum.
REPORTER:
But with this year’s forum hosted by Palau – one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies – some experts say Taipei may have more room to maintain its presence and engage with other allies and participants at the event.
Lai I-chung (PRESIDENT, PROSPECT FOUNDATION):
So Taiwan continue to do what Taiwan can present, what Taiwan can bring to the Pacific island nations about the development project that we can demonstrate to them about the drone that we produce, how that could be enabler for their national development as well as other international cooperations that would be beneficial for our Pacific island nations.
REPORTER:
With both Taiwan and China back in the picture this year, the Pacific Islands forum will once again test how the region balances its own priorities with growing competition for influence in the area.
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