China Missile Test Top of Agenda as Pacific Diplomats Meet in Fiji
Pacific diplomats will discuss a formal response to China’s missile test as Beijing’s influence and forum attendance rules also shape the agenda.
- On Friday, top diplomats from 18 Pacific Islands Forum member states gathered in Suva, Fiji, to address China's recent intercontinental ballistic missile test and its growing military influence in the region.
- Beijing provided regional nations with only a few hours' notice before test-firing the missile last month, flexing military might in a region where China has long sought to expand its geopolitical reach.
- Diplomats are also reviewing the Pacific forum's regional architecture to determine future participation; last year, the Solomon Islands banned all partner nations from attending the leaders' meeting in Honiara at China's request over Taiwan concerns.
- Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the region must emerge "stronger" to manage "very large challenges," while New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters recently drew internal backlash for telling a China-born lawmaker to "go back to your own country."
- This ministers' meeting precedes a full leaders' summit in Palau in September, though internal consensus remains difficult as pro-Beijing members Kiribati, Nauru, and Vanuatu have shown little interest in criticizing their major partner.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Pacific states fail to agree on statement condemning China test-firing missile
Pacific diplomats gathered in Fiji yesterday failed to agree on a joint statement condemning China’s test of a nuclear-capable missile in the region, with New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters accusing them of appeasing “outsiders.”Beijing gave only a handful of nations short notice
Diplomats from Pacific nations failed to agree on a joint statement in Fiji on Friday to condemn China's recent test of a nuclear-capable missile in the region.
Radio France Internationale
China missile test top of agenda as Pacific diplomats meet in Fiji
Beijing gave only a handful of nations short notice before test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile last month, flexing its military might in a region where it has long sought to expand its reach. The rocket appeared to land in a patch of ocean somewhere between Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu, monitors have said. It sparked condemnation from multiple Pacific leaders but the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum is yet to issue a formal re…
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