Solomons PM excludes 21 donor nations from PIF meeting amid China-Taiwan tensions

In a major move influenced by Beijing, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has announced that 21 donor countries, including the United States and China, will be excluded from the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders meeting, raising concerns over Taiwan's participation and the impact on regional diplomacy.

But Manele's decision will not affect the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and civil society groups, who have been invited to attend the summit in Honiara next month.

The Solomon Islands switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China in 2019, and in April, it removed Taiwan from a list of countries eligible for concessional entry.

Three PIF members maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, not China, and have raised concerns that Taipei officials have been blocked from entering the Solomons.

Manele told his parliament last week that no dialogue partners would be invited because a review of relationships with the Pacific was not yet complete.

The prime minister has also informed PIF leaders of his decision. This has drawn disappointment from the US and calls from Taiwan for its continued participation.

Listen to Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape's full interview with PMN News Political Reporter Ala Vailala below on his support for PIF unity.

A spokesperson from the US State Department told a media briefing in Washington that they are disappointed with Manele's decision, saying, “We support the continued attendance of all PIF partners, including Taiwan, at the annual PIF Leaders Meeting, as previously agreed by PIF leaders in 1992".

The Pacific Islands remain heavily reliant on aid and are central to the growing security competition between the US and China. The region has also become a focal point for increasing security competition between the US and China.

While US allies New Zealand and Australia are the most prominent members of the PIF, neither Beijing nor Washington is part of the group.

Photo/PIF

Taiwanese media have reported that the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urging the PIF to "maintain its existing arrangements" and allow for Taipei's participation as a "development partner".

Taiwan has attended the PIF informally to participate in side events, but it has not participated in the leaders' meeting.

Solomons' Opposition MP Peter Kenilorea Jr, who is chair of the parliament's foreign relations committee, has criticised Manele's move as a missed opportunity for global engagement with international donors.

"We know this issue is all about China and Taiwan," Kenilorea told parliament.

Kenilorea is concerned that China, which maintains a strong presence in the Solomon Islands, might hold bilateral meetings with Pacific leaders on the sidelines of the forum.

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine has criticised China's interference in the Pacific Islands Forum. Photo/Supplied

He warns that some PIF leaders could view this as a betrayal of the collective and could risk creating an even larger rift within the forum.

In a speech to her parliament, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine also condemned China's interference in previous forums. Heine claims that China interfered at the PIF meeting in Tonga to alter the language of the leaders' communique, resulting in the removal of references to Taiwan after complaints from Chinese diplomats.

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has been contacted for comment. The Pacific Islands Forum foreign ministers will meet in Fiji next week.