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Tuvalu reportedly considering pulling out of Pacific leaders' summit; 'hyping Taiwan question does not align with perception of most PICs'

Global Times

By Xu Yelu Published: Aug 18, 2025 10:09 PM

Prime Minister Feletei Teo of Tuvalu, which maintains so-called "diplomatic relations" with China's Taiwan region, said his country may pull out of the region's top political meeting next month, after host nation Solomon Islands moved to block all external partners from attending, The Guardian reported. Some foreign media analyses suggest that the Solomon Islands' decision aims to "exclude Taiwan from the meeting," prompting dissatisfaction from Tuvalu.

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders meeting will be held in Honiara in September. On August 7, Solomon Islands prime minister Jeremiah Manele told parliament that no dialogue partners would be invited to the annual gathering, The Guardian said.

Tuvalu, along with the Marshall Islands and Palau, are the only Pacific countries that maintain ties with Taiwan region. Yu Lei, a professor from the Department of International Politics and Economics at Shandong University, told the Global Times on Monday that Tuvalu's real intention may be to push for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' participation in the conference as a "dialogue partner," helping the island's DPP authorities to expand their so-called "international space."

In recent years, under persuasion from the US and Australia, Taiwan island has increased its aid to its "diplomatic allies" in the region in an attempt to maintain these relations, Yu said.

In an interview with the Guardian, Teo said he would wait to see how other Pacific leaders respond before deciding whether or not to attend the forum next month, expressing "disappointment" at the last-minute exclusion of external countries.

However, Palau, which will host the forum in 2026, says it "respects and acknowledges" Solomon Islands' decision to block all foreign attendees, with the office of the president saying it allows members "to focus on the critical intra-regional issues at this year's forum," according to the Guardian.

Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times that most PICs have established diplomatic relations with China, following the one-China principle. Only a very small number of countries maintain so-called "diplomatic relations" with the island of Taiwan. Chen noted that adhering to the One-China principle aligns with the global development trend and regional consensus.

Under pressure from the US and the West, a handful of foreign politicians have hyped up the Taiwan question due to political factors, which does not align with the perception of most PICs.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand on August 14 rejected the groundless accusations made against China over the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum. Stressing the fact that Taiwan is a province of China and never a country, the spokesperson also urged relevant parties to adhere to their one-China principle in good faith, creating the necessary conditions for the Forum to focus on an agenda of cooperation.

The Chinese embassy's response came after New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters' remarks on Thursday claiming that the influence of "outsiders" was threatening to split an upcoming annual summit of South Pacific leaders.

As a dialogue partner of PIF, China respects the Forum's role in regional cooperation, values its relations with the PIF, and welcomes opportunities to work with PIF members and other dialogue partners on supporting the development of Pacific Island developing countries under the Forum dialogue mechanism, the spokesperson said.