Taiwan's support for Pacific Islands Forum to continue despite no invitation

Taipei, Aug. 26 (CNA) Taiwan's decades-long support for the Pacific Islands Forum regional bloc will continue despite the latter's recent decision to exclude it and other donor countries from its annual meeting this year, a government spokesman said Tuesday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuangwei (蕭光偉) said that although Taiwan would not be joining this year's Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) annual leaders' meetings, the government would continue its close cooperation with PIF as a whole and with PIF countries that are Taiwan's diplomatic allies.

Taiwan has existing cooperation projects with PIF in providing financial assistance to support regional development. It also offers the Taiwan/ROC-Pacific Islands Forum Scholarship, which is open to all PIF members, according to Hsiao.

"These programs have benefited both allies and nonallied countries in the Pacific," he added.

Hsiao made the comments during a MOFA weekly briefing when asked by reporters about how Taiwan views its exclusion from PIF annual leaders' meetings and how Taiwan could contribute to the regional bloc despite not being invited to the upcoming summit in the Solomon Islands.

A PIF Foreign Ministers Meeting in Fiji held earlier this month decided to uphold the Solomon Islands' decision to exclude donor countries, including Taiwan, China and the United States, from the region's top political meeting next month.

There have been reports since last year that the Solomon Islands, which switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019, would seek to exclude Taiwan from participation due to Chinese pressure.

Earlier this month, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele first announced the decision on attendees to his country's parliament. Reuters later cited opposition party politician Peter Kenilorea Jr as saying the issue was "all about China and Taiwan."

Taiwan previously said that it accepted the decision despite finding it regrettable.

Though not a member of the PIF, Taiwan has been a partner country in PIF mechanisms since 1993.

It annually holds the Taiwan/Republic of China-Forum Countries Dialogue and other events concurrent with the PIF Leaders Meeting in the host countries to strengthen Taiwan's cooperative relations with diplomatic allies in the Pacific and like-minded countries through the forum's multilateral mechanisms.

China has poached several of Taiwan's allies in the Pacific as it seeks to expand its presence in the region and isolate Taiwan from the international community.

Of the 18 members in the PIF, only three -- the Marshall Islands, Palau, and Tuvalu -- currently maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.