Pacific leaders head to Palau as pressure builds over geopolitics, crime and region's unity

Pacific leaders head to Palau facing a longer and more difficult agenda, as geopolitical tensions, transnational crime and pressure on regional unity shape the 55th Pacific Islands Forum meeting next week.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, Niue Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi and Tokelau Ulu Alapati Tavite have also met in Auckland ahead of the Forum, in the first meeting of the four Realm leaders.

They discussed regional priorities and the upcoming leaders’ meeting in Palau.

Forum Deputy Secretary-General Esala Nayasi says the region has had a particularly demanding year with issues facing Pacific countries and communities becoming harder to tackle alone.

“Geopolitics and the shifting political landscape in the region are one that we cannot turn a blind eye to,” Nayasi told journalists at a regional media workshop in Koror.

He says leaders will also focus on economic pressures, political leadership, resilience, transnational crime and the future of regional integration.

Ulu-o-Tokelau Petelo Alapati Tavite, Niue Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown meet in Auckland ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau. Photo/PMN News

“There is an appreciation of, as I've said, the value of regionalism. There is acknowledgement that we all need regionalism to work.

"We can't implement or we can't do things on our own as individual countries.

"It is important that there are issues that we need to work together, to deliver together as one collective voice, as one unit.”

Pacific Islands Forum Deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi speaks to journalists during a regional media workshop in Koror, Palau, ahead of next week’s 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. Photo/Pacific Islands Forum

Missile testing back on the agenda

Missile testing in the Pacific is also expected to remain a concern after China’s ballistic missile test into the Pacific earlier this year sparked debate among Forum members.

Forum Secretary-General Baron Divavesi Waqa says any statement from leaders will need to reflect the different positions of member governments.

“Well, I think anything to do with missile testing in our region is of concern to our leaders,” he said in a Pacnews report.

But Waqa says the Forum wants its position to apply broadly rather than focus on one country. “We all want to make a strong statement to everyone, not just China.”

China’s presence will also be felt around the meeting, with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung in Palau for Forum side events and the Taiwan/Republic of China-PIF Countries Dialogue.

Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa speaks at a regional media workshop in Koror, Palau, ahead of next week’s Leaders Meeting. He has urged Pacific journalists to keep regional voices at the centre of their reporting. Photo/Pacific Islands Forum

Taiwan has been a development partner in Forum processes since 1993 and still has formal diplomatic ties with three Pacific countries - Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands.

Beijing has again rejected Taiwan’s involvement, saying Taipei has no right to take part in the Forum.

The issue adds another layer to the geopolitical pressure surrounding Pacific leaders as they consider how the region works with outside partners.

Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr says the Forum is also an opportunity to strengthen those partnerships, with more than 2,000 people expected to attend the meeting and its related events.

“This is an opportunity to bring in partners” in areas including energy, tourism and conservation, Whipps told local media, with the goal of working together toward a “prosperous, resilient Pacific together” in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

Whipps described last year’s Forum in Solomon Islands as a “missed opportunity” after participation was limited to Forum member countries.

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr is preparing to host the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, with more than 2,000 people expected to attend the summit and related events. Photo/Prime Minister's Office, Japan/file

Journalist caught in entry row

The Forum has also faced questions over access for Pacific media after Vanuatu Daily Post journalist Hilaire Bule was removed from Palau after travelling to cover the summit.

Bule was one of 10 Pacific journalists selected to cover the Leaders Meeting and attend the regional media workshop.

He says he was not aware Palau had changed its entry rules for Vanuatu nationals and has been left in Manila while arrangements are made for his onward travel.

“I don't know about this policy change,” Bule told Pacnews.

Palau ended visa-on-arrival access for Vanuatu nationals and 11 other countries in March, requiring travellers to obtain written immigration pre-clearance before travelling.

Vanuatu Daily Post journalist Hilaire Bule was removed from Palau after travelling to cover the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting and remains in Manila awaiting confirmation of his onward travel. Photo/PINA

A Palau immigration officer told journalists Bule could return once he had obtained the required clearance.

The case has raised questions about whether Pacific journalists selected to cover the Forum were given enough information about the new requirements before travelling.

Pacific voices at the centre

Waqa has urged regional media to keep Pacific voices at the centre of coverage, saying journalists have an important role in helping communities understand what their leaders decide.

“Your presence is a strong testament to the important role of the media in our region to ensure that Pacific stories are told by Pacific voices, from a Pacific perspective.”

This year’s Forum theme is B.E.L.A.U. - Building Economies, Life, Action, Unity, reflecting the focus on stronger economies, better lives, practical action and regional solidarity.

Watch Director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at Canterbury University, Professor Steven Ratuva's full interview on Pacific Mornings below.

The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting runs from 31 August to 4 September in Koror, Palau.

PMN News political reporter Thomas Tarurongo Wynne will also be in Koror to cover the summit and bring Pacific audiences the latest from the Leaders Meeting.