During the just concluded 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting, Australia and the host country Palau pushed hard for a topic related to China, attempting to influence the participating countries to express so-called 'condemnation' of China's intercontinental ballistic missile test in the South Pacific waters last July. However, this attempt was repeatedly thwarted.
On September 4th, local time, according to reports from Reuters and The Associated Press, the final joint statement was significantly downplayed. The term “China” was not mentioned directly, and the initial intention to use the word “condemn” was abandoned. Instead, the term “concern” was used, and the statement changed to a general call for “all countries conducting missile tests” to follow the principles of 24-hour notification and increased transparency.
Palaos President Whipple read a prepared statement at the closing press conference on Thursday. He added that Nauru opposed the relevant "concerns" provisions in the communique.
Additionally, according to New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, not only were the leaders of Kiribati absent from the meeting this week, but even representatives of officials were not present. However, he tried to downplay the significance of Kiribati’s absence and Nauru’s opposition. “I believe we have reached an ideal situation… Nauru has indeed severed its ties with the statement, but that does not mean we cannot convey the positions or consensus of the Pacific Island Countries Forum.”
It is worth mentioning that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) previously reported that Kiribati President Mama said he strongly opposed accusations against China. Recently, he has repeatedly asked publicly, "The United States often conducts weapons tests in the Marshall Islands, which are very close to us. Why don't we criticize the United States?"
In the face of this soul-searching question, Australian Prime Minister Albanese tried to deflect by saying “the situation is different”. However, he couldn’t deny the actions of the US side, so he avoided direct accusations and instead said “the US will notify in advance”. In fact, China had also given prior notice before the test launch, and this was confirmed by many regional countries. This double-standard approach immediately attracted a lot of ridicule. Former ABC journalist Peter Cronohan spoke frankly: Since 2000, the US has carried out dozens of test launches in the South Pacific, and Australia has never spoken up about it.
According to Reuters, Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who attended the meeting with Alabin, tried to save face on Friday by saying, "It's completely reasonable for one or two Pacific nations to have different opinions," and argued that "it's not necessary for all Pacific island nations to agree in order to express their strong views."
However, the Associated Press pointed out that this communiqué should have been decided through consensus by all members of the forum. It is an important political procedure in the region, and it is usually signed by the leaders themselves. According to statistics, except for Kiribati, leaders from Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands did not attend the meeting. Only low-ranking ministers were sent, which significantly reduced the significance of this summit.
This is not the first time that Pacific island nations have significant differences on related issues. At the Pacific Islands Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in Suva, Fiji on August 7, countries also failed to reach a joint statement regarding whether to 'condemn' China's missile test launch.
On September 3, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun presided over a regular press conference. A Reuters journalist asked whether Palau, the host country of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum, would like member countries to agree on condemning China's missile tests in the region. What is the Foreign Ministry's response to this?
Guo Jiaqun said that regarding the test firing activities, China has repeatedly stated its position. The Palau side has been constantly hyping up the issue, attempting to manipulate the positions of other Pacific Island Forum member countries. Their intentions are malicious, and their schemes will not succeed.
Guo Jiaqun said that China adheres to a path of peaceful development and firmly implements a defensive national defense policy. It never engages in military expansion. We are willing to work with the countries in the South Pacific region to contribute to maintaining peace, stability, and development and prosperity in the region.
