Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feletei Teo considers withdrawing from the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum meeting after the Solomon Islands announced that no external partners would be invited. This decision has sparked concerns about regional dynamics and China's influence in Pacific affairs. Teo is disappointed with the sudden exclusion of external countries, such as Taiwan, which has participated for over thirty years. Tuvalu, alongside a few other Pacific nations, maintains ties with Taiwan, which complicates the regional political landscape. Teo plans to wait for responses from other Pacific leaders before making a final decision on participating in the forum.
The Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting will be held in Honiara in September. On 7 August, Solomon Islands prime minister Jeremiah Manele told parliament that no dialogue partners would be invited to the annual gathering. Countries outside the Pacific, known as dialogue partners, have attended the forum since 1989, to work with Pacific leaders and contribute to discussions around development and regional security.
The decision by Honiara, a close ally of Beijing, has fuelled speculation the move was aimed at keeping Taiwan out of the meeting. It has raised questions over China's growing sway in Pacific diplomacy and whether regional unity can hold.
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