Taiwan sends diplomat to meet ‘friends’ at Pacific forum

NAKU’ALOFA, Tonga — Taiwan will dispatch a senior diplomat to a key forum in the Kingdom of Tonga this week, seeking to reinforce ties with its shrinking list of Pacific island allies.

The South Pacific was once seen as a bastion of support for Taiwan’s claim to statehood, but China has been methodically whittling this down.

In the last five years, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nauru have all been persuaded to sever diplomatic links with Taiwan in favor of China.

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Deputy foreign minister Tien Chung-kwang will lead Taiwan’s delegation at this year’s Pacific Islands Forum, hosted by Tonga.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said he would meet with representatives from “friendly” Palau, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu — three of the 12 nations or states that still diplomatically recognize Taiwan.

These meetings would “convey that Taiwan attaches great importance to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the Pacific region”, the ministry said.

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Palau faces an election later this year in which the country’s links to Taiwan — and a potential switch to China — figure as major campaign talking points.

China’s presence has loomed large over this year’s forum, even before it has officially opened.

Red-and-white signs on the main street of capital Nuku’alofa tout “China Aid” and visions of a future “shared” with the Pacific’s last monarchy.

One such project was the indoor stadium that will host the conference when it starts on Monday, a US$25 million gift from Beijing.

Since they last met, the forum’s 18 scattered members have been buffeted by economic headwinds and escalating competition between the United States and China.

Beijing has been painstakingly courting Pacific nations, using its largesse to build government offices, sporting venues, hospitals, highways and more.

Fearful that China could spin this into a permanent military presence, the United States and Australia have responded by dishing out aid, inking bilateral agreements and re-opening long-dormant embassies.