Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung Acknowledges Palau’s Role in Enabling Participation at PIF Summit

Taipei: Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung on Tuesday expressed gratitude to Palau for facilitating his participation at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit, a significant political gathering of Pacific nations, despite Taiwan not being an official member of the bloc. Lin's comments were made public through a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) statement released to CNA. According to Focus Taiwan, Lin attended the opening ceremony of the 55th PIF Leaders Meeting, held in Koror from August 30 to September 4. While Taiwan is not a member of the PIF, it has maintained the status of "development partner" since 1993. Typically, Taiwan conducts the Taiwan/Republic of China-Forum Countries Dialogue and other side events in tandem with the PIF's annual summit, but rarely has Taiwan been part of the forum's official meetings. China's Pacific envoy, Qian Bo, voiced Beijing's opposition to Lin's attendance, expressing China's "serious concerns" about the inclusion of Taiwan. Qian conveyed these concerns to reporters, em phasizing that Taiwan is not recognized as a dialogue partner within the forum. He further stated that China's position had been clearly communicated to both the government of Palau and the PIF secretariat. The previous year's PIF summit in the Solomon Islands excluded Taiwan and other non-member countries, limiting attendance to the forum's 18 member states. Partner nations like China, the United States, and Taiwan were not allowed to participate due to the host nation's decision, reportedly influenced by an ongoing review of partnership arrangements. Media outlets reported that the Solomon Islands, which shifted diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019, had blocked Taiwan's involvement under Beijing's influence. China has been actively working to strengthen its presence in the Pacific, aiming to further isolate Taiwan internationally by encouraging Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the region to switch allegiance to Beijing. Currently, only three of the PIF's 18 member states-Palau, the Marshall Is lands, and Tuvalu-maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.