Pacific Islands Forum affirms Taiwan's participation in organization

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) issued a communique Friday affirming Taiwan's participation amid rumors of a push by China and the Solomon Islands to exclude the country from the inter-governmental organization.

"Leaders at the forum reaffirmed the 1992 Leaders decision on relations with Taiwan/Republic of China," the PIF said.

The statement came following a Monday report in The Australian newspaper, which claimed the Solomon Islands would table a motion at this year's summit from Aug. 26-30 in Tonga to strip Taiwan of its "development partner" status, held since 1993.

According to an anonymous source cited by the Australian report, the Solomon Islands received explicit instructions from Beijing to block Taiwan's attendance at the 2025 summit of PIF countries in the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara.

Nonmembers China, the United States, Japan, Canada and the European Union also participate in the annual forum and other PIF events as "dialogue partners."

Since abandoning its long-held diplomatic recognition of Taipei in 2019, the Solomon Islands has become a staunch regional ally of China, receiving significant development aid and striking a secretive bilateral security pact in 2022.

Based on the PIF's charter, motions are decided by verbal consensus among the group's 18-member nations, which include Taiwan's diplomatic allies Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Tuvalu.

During the Tonga summit, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he supports Taiwan's status in the PIF, and emphasized that any decision to exclude parties from regional forums should be made via a consensus.

Furthermore, when asked by CNA if Washington has plans to support Taiwan in securing its status in the PIF, the U.S. Department of State responded via email that it supports Taiwan's participation in international organizations.

"Taiwan is a highly capable, engaged, democratic, and responsible member of the global community," a State Department spokesperson said, adding that countries around the world "stand to benefit from Taiwan's expertise to address some of today's most difficult global challenges."

"We [the U.S.] will continue to support Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations," the spokesperson said.