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This year’s Pacific Islands Forum will be held in Tonga from August 26 to 30.
photo: Royal Bank of New Zealand
Taiwan’s vice foreign minister will attend a meeting of Pacific island leaders in Tonga this week, the island’s foreign ministry said on Sunday, as China and the United States vie for influence in the region.
The Pacific is also an area of competition between Taipei and Beijing as China gradually reduces the number of countries with which Taiwan has formal diplomatic relations. Currently, there are three countries – Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands – that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Vice Foreign Minister Tian Zhongguang would hold a summit with three Pacific allies to strengthen partnerships with the three countries and other “like-minded countries,” referring to Western democracies such as the United States and Australia.
Shortly after Lai Ching-te was elected as Taiwan’s new president in January, Nauru severed ties with Taipei and established diplomatic relations with Beijing, a move the Taiwanese government said was part of ongoing pressure from China.
In 2018, Nauru, then still an ally of Taiwan, slammed China for its comments at the Pacific Islands Forum, calling it “arrogant and disrespectful.” Nauru recognized China from 2002 to 2005.
Taiwan has participated in the forum as a development partner since 1993 under the name “Taiwan/Republic of China”. The Republic of China is the official name of Taiwan.
China says democratically governed Taiwan is one of its provinces and has no right to state-to-state relations, a charge the Taipei government fiercely rebuts.
Climate change and security are expected to dominate discussions at this week’s meeting of Pacific island leaders, which will also be attended by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
Taiwan and Tonga established diplomatic relations in 1972 until 1998, when Tonga switched its recognition to Beijing and severed ties with Taipei.
Currently, only 12 countries maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
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