Pacific Island leaders are gathering in Palau as strategic competition intensifies across the region, with climate resilience, energy security and China's growing military presence all competing for attention. While this year's Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) has welcomed back major dialogue partners including the US, China, Japan and Taiwan, Beijing's recent submarine-launched ballistic missile test into the South Pacific and its expanding regional influence have heightened concerns over the future of Pacific security. At the same time, Pacific nations are seeking to preserve their unity and strategic autonomy, insisting they do not want their region to become an arena for great-power rivalry. Can the Pacific Islands maintain a common agenda while balancing competing external powers? In this episode, we examine this year’s PIF, China's expanding footprint, and how the US, Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan are responding in one of the Indo-Pacific's most strategically important regions.
*Recorded on September 3, 2026 at 2pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Wen-Ti Sung
Producer: Chinyeh Chiang
Videographer: Celest Kao
Our guests:
Chen Ping-kuei
- National Chengchi University (NCCU) Department of Diplomacy Professor
Chiew-Ping Hoo
- East Asian International Relations (EAIR) Caucus Co-Founder
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