Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed he has been formally informed by the Solomon Islands about its decision to exclude nearly two dozen countries from the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum meeting.
The list includes major donors such as the U.S, Taiwan and China.
He warned this move threatens to fracture decades of Pacific unity and cooperation.
Rabuka stated Fiji has been unfairly blamed for past tensions that nearly led some Micronesian nations to consider leaving the Forum.
He emphasised the importance of preserving the Forum’s spirit and maintaining partnerships inherited from previous leaders.
“We inherited these dialogue partners and development partners, and we should pass them on. If we create a fracture now, it could result in the fracturing and dismantling of the combined efforts of the Pacific Islands Forum and our dialogue and development partners.”
Rabuka cautioned that any fracture now could undo years of regional progress.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele defended the decision as a sovereign move made in the region’s best interest.
He rejected claims of external pressure and said limiting attendance will help the Forum focus on core issues such as climate financing and the Ocean of Peace proposal put forward by Fiji.
The exclusion has raised concern among Pacific countries especially those with diplomatic ties to Taiwan.
The move comes amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Pacific, with the Solomon Islands shifting diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019.
The decision to block donor countries from the Forum, according to Rabuka risks deepening divisions at a time when regional unity is crucial.
Rabuka said Fiji continues to call for solidarity among Pacific nations to safeguard decades of cooperation and collective regional security.
Meanwhile, The United States on Monday expressed its disappointment over the Solomon Islands’ decision not to invite Taiwan and other “dialogue and development partners” to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting next month.
“We support the continued attendance of all PIF partners, including Taiwan, at the annual PIF Leaders Meeting, as previously agreed by PIF leaders in 1992,” an unnamed State Department spokesperson told CNA.
“We are disappointed by reports that the Solomon Islands has decided to exclude dialogue and development partners from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting this year,” the spokesperson said.
As a fellow PIF dialogue partner, the U.S “appreciates the important role PIF plays in setting the region’s priorities and engaging with external partners on issues of shared concern,” according to the spokesperson.
“The United States remains committed to engagement with the Pacific Islands and deepening partnerships with the PIF to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region. We are honoured to be a founding PIF Dialogue Partner,” it added.
Earlier this month, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele announced to his country’s Parliament that the PIF would not invite donor countries, such as Taiwan, the U.S and China.
Only the bloc’s 18 members, including Australia and New Zealand, will participate in the 54th PIF Leaders Meeting, scheduled for 05 September in Honiara, Manele told the Parliament, according to a Reuters report.
While Manele cited an ongoing review of each country’s relationship with the Pacific as the main reason, Reuters cited opposition party politician Peter Kenilorea Jr as saying the issue was “all about China and Taiwan.”
Meanwhile, a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told CNA that New Zealand supports “a continuation of the long-standing approach of the PIF to this issue, which allows for partners from around the world to attend the PIF and discuss regional priorities”
“Ultimately, how the PIF in Honiara is managed is a matter for the hosts and all PIF members,” the spokesperson told CNA in an email response.
“We expect this proposal to be discussed by Foreign Ministers in Suva this week,” the unnamed spokesperson said, adding that it would be inappropriate to pre-empt those discussions by commenting any further.
Taiwan has been a partner country in PIF mechanisms since 1993 and has also made several significant donations to the bloc.
Since last year, several media reports have suggested that the Solomon Islands, which broke off diplomatic ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing in 2019, would seek to exclude Taiwan from the 2025 PIF due to Chinese pressure.
Of the 18 members in the PIF, only three — the Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu — have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
In Taipei, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week called on the PIF to “maintain its existing arrangements” and allow Taiwan’s participation in the upcoming PIF event, an important political gathering for leaders of Pacific island states, as a “development partner.
[…] partners from the meeting, Fiji, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, none of which recognize Taiwan, expressed disappointment with the exclusion of PIF partners (although they may not have specifically named […]