Palau president wants to Taiwan to get a fair go at PIF
President Surangel Whipps Jr. at his first state visit to Taiwan in May 2025 after the inauguration of his second term.
Photo:
Supplied/ Office of the President
Palau's president wants to see Taiwan given full access at this year's Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders' meeting.
It was great to see 17 out of 18 leaders in Tonga for last year's meeting, Surangel Whipps Jr said - a sense of unity he wants to continue.
"That's the record since we've gotten back together. Let's ensure that that continues, because that's what we need to see."
He said he has heard that "there's been some difficulty in Taiwan gaining access".
Whipps asked the PIF team to make sure they are doing all that it's responsible to do, to make sure the forum conference is a success, and everybody's there that's supposed to be able to participate.
A Solomon Islands Government spokesperson said at this stage the government is not in a position to comment on participation or related arrangements for the PIF Leaders' Summit.
They pointed out that the registration process for the summit has not yet opened and formal invitations will be issued in due course.
"As host, Solomon Islands continues to work closely with the Forum Secretariat and Forum Member countries on all preparations."
Whipps has just arrived back from a state visit to Taiwan, where its foreign minister Lin Chia-lung expressed his country's appreciation for Palau's consistent support on the international stage.
Three Forum members - Tuvalu, Palau and Marshall Islands - have diplomatic ties with Taiwan and not China.
Taiwan has been a development partner since 1992. China has been a dialogue partner of the PIF since 1990.
Last year,
RNZ Pacific captured
China's representative to the meeting in Tonga asking Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown to change the final communique which recognised Taiwan and China separately.
Earlier this month, Solomon Islands' prime minister Jeremiah Manele warned government workers against engaging with "Taiwan". In a statement, Jeremiah Manele reaffirmed his government's commitment to the One-China Policy.
The
ABC
reported a newly appointed government minister was pressured by China to quit an international group critical of its policies.
Beijing's Embassy in Honiara said the allegations are baseless.
It said China will never interfere in Solomon Islands internal affairs and also firmly oppose any other countries' interference in Solomon Islands' internal affairs.
The president of Kiribati, Taneti Maamau, and top diplomats from Niue, Tonga, Nauru, Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Fiji and Samoa have been in China for a two-day meeting.
In a joint statement, published to the website of China's foreign affairs ministry, the parties said: "All parties recognize that there is but one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China.
"China firmly opposes 'Taiwan independence' in all forms and commits to realizing national reunification, which has gained wide understanding and support at the meeting.
"China firmly supports Pacific Island countries in upholding their sovereignty and independence."
Meanwhile, a regional architecture review (RRA) has entered its final stage.
It's the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' response to the increasing interest from a growing number of Forum dialogue partners wanting a seat - and a say - at the regional decision-making table.
Palau's president has made it clear to the RRA committee that, "it is important that all our partners are able to be present at PIF".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
Nauru, Metals Company announce revised deep sea mining agreement
Nauru President David Adeang at the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. 25 August 2024 Photo: RNZ Pacific / Lydia Lewis Nauru has announced an update to its commercial agreement with Canadian mining group The Metals Company for deep sea mining in international waters. The updated "sponsorship agreement" was announced in a press release from The Metals Company. It comes at a time of increasing uncertainty in the deep sea mining industry with both the US and International Seabed Authority (ISA) respectively stating each offers a licencing pathway to mine the seabed in international waters. Nauru president David Adeang said in the press release that The Metals Company has been a "trusted and respectful" partner to Nauru. "We have worked to establish a responsible pathway for deep sea mineral development, one that can serve for a model for other developing states." The area of international waters currently under the spotlight is the Clarion Clipperton Zone - a vast area of the Pacific Ocean that sits between Hawai'i, Kiribati and Mexico, and spans 4.5 million square kilometres. The zone is of high commercial interest because it has an abundance of polymetallic nodules that contain valuable metals like cobalt, nickel, manganese and copper, which are used to make products such as smartphones and electric batteries. The minerals are also used in weapons manufacturing. Nauru has special rights in the Clarion Clipperton Zone through the ISA, which under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has jurisdiction over it. Since 2011, Nauru has partnered with The Metals Company to explore its area of the zone for minerals through that framework. At the same time, the ISA - which counts all Pacific nations among its 169-strong membership - has been developing a commercial mining code. The process, which began in 2014 and is ongoing, has been criticised by The Metals Company as effectively blocking it and Nauru's commercial mining interests. The company has also praised the US deepsea mining licencing pathway , which was effectively reactivated through an executive order President Donald Trump issued in April. That legislation, the Deep Sea Hard Mineral Resources Act, states the US can grant mining permits in international waters. At face value, it offers an alternative licencing route to commercial seabed activity in the high seas to the ISA. However, any cross-over between jurisdictions and authorities remains untested. The Metals Company Photo: Facebook / The Metals Company In the press release from The Metals Company, its chief executive Gerard Barron made direct reference to Trump's order, titled 'Unleashing America's Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources'. He said he was heartened by its call "for a joint assessment of a seabed benefit-sharing mechanism" and was certain that "big ocean states" like Nauru would continue to play a leading role in the deep sea mining industry. The company confirmed two weeks ago it would not be applying for a commercial mining license through the ISA in June. Instead, it has said it would apply exclusively apply through US regulations. No mention of that decision was made in the press release. "We remain unshakeable in our commitment to developing this project responsibly, transparently, and in a way that delivers real benefits to Nauruans," Barron said. ISA secretary general Leticia Carvalho has previously said the US had no authority to offer permits in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. "Circumventing the regulatory authority of the ISA not only breaches international law, but also erodes trust," Carvalho said. In addition to Nauru, Tonga, Kiribati and the Cook Islands have special rights in the Clarion Clipperton Zone through the ISA.
RNZ News
16 hours ago
- RNZ News
Poor countries set to pay $22billion for China debt
Research from the Lowy Institute shows China set to become chief debt collector for the developing world. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon New research from the Lowy Institute shows the world's poorest countries will make record high debt repayments to China this year. The research, released last month, showed China is set to call in US$22 billion for debts from 75 countries assessed by the World Bank as the world's poorest and most vulnerable in 2025. Ten Pacific nations were on the list. China's foreign ministry, meanwhile, denies Beijing is responsible for developing debt. Lowy research author Riley Duke said China had shifted from lead bilateral banker to chief debt collector for the developing world. "Because of the large amount of lending that China did in the mid-2010s, and the way it structured its loans through its Belt-and-Road initiative, this year, it is seeing a huge spike in repayments," he said. For Pacific countries that had borrowed from China, Duke said repayment strain was already an issue. He identified Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu as being at higher risk due to respective loans. In Tonga, the impact of Chinese loans had been a "big political issue" this year. Duke anticipated that about 15 percent of the government's revenue over the next few years would be devoted to debt repayments. "Last year, Tonga spent more on its debt repayments than it did on health for its citizens," he said. "And so when we look at the….forward outlook, there are more challenges on the horizon. There are key development issues across the Pacific that countries and their governments and their people want to be dealing with. "But instead, these debt burdens are there and they're persistent. "Again, just to focus on Tonga…. [it] ran five successful budget surpluses in the lead-up to having a big wave of Chinese debt repayments coming in. "But then it faced huge economic costs from the pandemic, from the earthquake, from cyclones, and so that wiped out all the money that [the government] had put aside." Duke believed the amount of China's lending into the region was less than a quarter of the level it was in the mid-2010s. "I'd be surprised to see any new large loans from China in the region, and I think related to that is the broader topic of whether Pacific countries should take on lots of debt. "Pacific countries have large financing gaps. There's a lot of infrastructure that needs to be built, and sometimes loans are the best way to do that, and ultimately that just comes back to the quality of the project. "People are a bit afraid of debt, and I think it's a bit…of a dirty word, but if a loan is taken out to finance a project that is good for economic growth, good for a Pacific country [because] it drives connectivity [and] it drives the economy, then it's a good loan, and it's good debt to take on, and it will pay itself back." He said there had also been a shift in how China engaged with the region. "China's main form of engagement with the Pacific 15 years ago was lending. I think 80 percent of all of China's development financing to the region was in the form of loans, and that's fallen off dramatically since around 2018." That shift was due to a range of factors, including increased financing options for Pacific governments, Duke said. "In 2010, China might have been the only partner offering large-scale infrastructure financing. "Australia is now offering more financing in that space. The World Bank is offering more financing in that space; there's climate funds that are also offering adaptation projects and adaptation infrastructure. "So there are more options on the table for Pacific countries than there was previously. And I think that is part of the reason that China's lending has declined." China's foreign ministry denied Beijing was responsible for developing debt . "China's cooperation on investment and financing with developing countries follows international practice, market principles, and the principle of debt sustainability," spokesperson Mao Ning said. "A handful of countries are spreading the narrative that China is responsible for these countries' debt. "However, they ignore the fact that multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors from developed countries are the main creditors of developing countries, and the primary source of debt repayment pressure. "Lies cannot cover truth and people can tell right from wrong."
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Tonga police constable arrested for drug possession
Photo: Aleksandr Shyripa A police constable in Tonga has been arrested for drug possession. Matangi Tonga reported a 21-year-old male probationary constable was arrested at the weekend. During the same drug operation in Nuku'alofa, two other men were also arrested for allegedly selling drugs. The arrest was part of an operation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Unit. Tonga Police said the constable has been suspended without pay and will face court at a later date. The Commissioner of Police, Geoff Turner said this is not a reflection of police and thanked other officers for their hard work. "This is not a reflection of who we are," he said. It comes amid widespread drug issues in the region. In Fiji, police and Customs staff were recently charged with drug smuggling . Pacific police chiefs discussed the region's drug trafficking problems on a panel at the World Police Summit in Dubai. Fiji Police Force Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu, Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Commissioner Mostyn Mangau and New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner Bruce O'Brien participated in a fireside chat at the World Police Summit in Dubai. Photo: Pacific Island Chiefs of Police Facebook There are calls for better drug rehabilitation centres in Tonga with drug crime and health issues visablevisible on the streets. RNZ Pacific's Tonga correspondent, Kalafi Moala, said someone can walk down the street and see young beggars seeking money for drugs, or motor vehicles being driven recklessly. He said it's critical for Tonga to have somewhere to rehabilitate people. "If you have a young man, a young woman here that's addicted, you go to the hospital, you're given some pills for treatment, but there's no place where they can be rehabilitated," he said. "You talk to families, and the family will tell you they've got a son that's got a problem, but there's nowhere. "The Salvation Army has a small counselling outfit here, but they don't have a rehabilitation centre, so that's a really big issue. "How can we heal and how can we restore the negative impact of drugs in our society? Until we do that, just stemming the flow is not going to help Tonga in general."
