China warned a top Pacific Islands diplomat to “avoid affecting the healthy and stable development of ties,” after he said Taiwan would attend an annual meeting of the regional bloc’s leaders.
The island was barred from the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting last year after protests from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory. But the forum’s secretary-general, Baron Waqa, told reporters last week that Taipei would attend this year.
“China urges the Pacific Islands Forum secretary to strictly adhere to the one-China principle, properly handle Taiwan-related issues, and avoid affecting the healthy and stable development of ties between China and the Forum,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in response to the matter.
China opposes the self-governed island’s participation in international organizations and exchanges with other countries. Forum members Nauru, Kiribati, and Solomon Islands have all cut diplomatic ties with Taipei since 2019, with the latter blocking Taiwan from attending the meeting when it hosted last year. Palau, host of this year’s event from August 30 to September 4, is among Taiwan’s 12 remaining diplomatic partners, together with forum members Tuvalu and Marshall Islands.
Last week, Pacific diplomats have failed to agree on a joint statement criticizing China’s recent test of a nuclear-capable missile in the region, with New Zealand’s foreign minister accusing them of appeasing “outsiders.”
The dispute over Taiwan’s participation in the Pacific Islands Forum is significant well beyond the protocol of a regional summit. Beijing’s warning underscores how Taiwan’s diplomatic presence has become intertwined with the broader contest for influence across the Pacific, where China-aligned and U.S.-aligned states are competing for strategic relationships with small island nations. Palau’s decision to host this year’s meeting—and its continued diplomatic recognition of Taiwan—raises the issue directly, in a region where Beijing has made substantial diplomatic and economic inroads. Taiwan’s presence at the forum represents more than a diplomatic appearance: it is a visible test of how much room Pacific Island states retain to define their own foreign-policy choices amid intensifying great-power competition.
