Winston Peters says China “too clever by half” in PIF row

Foreign Affairs Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters says China has been “too clever by half” in response to a statement from Beijing denying any involvement in this year’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Honiara.

Peters’ comments follow a post by China’s embassy in Tonga, which criticised accusations suggesting that they had influenced the Solomon Islands’ decision to exclude the 21 dialogue partners from next month’s leaders’ summit.

“Well, no one accused them of interference, so why did they name themselves, via the ambassdor?” Peters tells William Terite on Pacific Mornings.

“Sometimes you can be too clever by half. Go back and look at that one day proceedings, and find out and ask yourself, who ever named China? No-one.”

Peters recently attended the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in Suva, where he says that member countries were not happy with the exclusion of the 21 dialogue partners, and Taiwan.

He says there’s a need to avoid a repeat of the situation in the future.

Watch Winston Peters' full interview below

“We've got very serious confidence that next year, the quorum of the right number and the correct people to invite will happen without outside interference.”

During the Suva summit, Peters also spoke with the Cook Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Tingika Elikana.

Peters reiterates that senior officials are working to mend relationships between the Cook Islands and New Zealand. This follows a lack of consultation from the government in Rarotonga about an agreement signed between the island nation and China earlier this year.

The Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting is set to go ahead in Honiara next month. Photo/PMN News/Ala Vailala

“Our job is to ensure that this connection is as strong as ever but continues at the full licence, authority, and permission of the Cook Islands people,” Peters says. “Not their temporary leaders but the Cook Islands people.”

When asked if Elikana offered an apology, Peters says it was not the appropriate setting for such a gesture.

“It's not always a perfect relationship. That's life. Our job is to make sure we fix things up.”