Taiwan reference in PIF communique removed due to China pressure

Sydney, Aug. 31 (CNA) A communique issued by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) that mentioned support for Taiwan has been taken down and later republished on Saturday with the country's name no longer mentioned, due to pressure from China.

In response, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) condemned China for its "irrational behavior" which undermines regional peace and stability, while calling on like-minded countries to keep close tabs on Beijing's actions and safeguard the harmonious and stable development of Pacific island countries.

MOFA added that the communique will not affect Taiwan's status in PIF or its right of future participation, and thanked Taiwan's diplomatic allies and like-minded countries' support for the country's continued participation in PIF.

The 18-member PIF, an inter-governmental organization, held its 53rd summit this year from Aug. 26-30 in Tonga. Despite being a nonmember, Taiwan has been an active participant of the annual event under the status of "development partner" since 1993.

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

When the forum wrapped up on Friday, the PIF posted a joint communique on its website which contained a line reaffirming the decades-long arrangements regarding Taiwan.

"Leaders at the forum reaffirmed the 1992 Leaders decision on relations with Taiwan/Republic of China," the PIF was quoted as saying under paragraph 66 of the communique.

On Friday evening, the communique was taken down from the PIF website.

It was republished online the next day, but with paragraph 66 about Taiwan no longer included.

According to a Nikkei Asia report on Friday, its reporters had witnessed a "visibly angry" Qian Bo (錢波), China's special envoy for the Pacific, confront the PIF Secretary General Baron Waqa and tell him that the statement about Taiwan in the communique was "unacceptable."

Qian then spoke with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Peter Shanel Agovaka, and later turned his attention to reporters outside the venue, the report said.

"Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan is not a dialogue partner of PIF, so China has the representation on behalf of the whole China, including Taiwan and the mainland," Qian was quoted as saying in the report.

Nikkei Asia also reported that Qian said the reference on Taiwan "must be a mistake," as 15 of the 18 PIF members "have categorically stated they abide by the 'One-China' principle."

"This is a surprising mistake made by someone, I'm not sure, but it must be corrected," he added.

The PIF members currently include three of Taiwan's diplomatic allies -- Palau, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.

The PIF's altered communique came after a report in The Australian newspaper earlier this week claimed that the Solomon Islands would table a motion at this year's summit to strip Taiwan of its "development partner" status.

According to an anonymous source cited by the Australian, the Solomon Islands received explicit instructions from Beijing to block Taiwan's attendance at next year's summit of PIF countries, which will be held in the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara.