Taiwan sent Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang to Tonga, seeking to reinforce ties with its shrinking list of Pacific island allies.
Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Peter Agovaka on Friday showed little sign of dropping efforts to reform the way the bloc does business with Taiwan.
He told AFP that a review of the bloc should ensure that members are “sovereign states. Not states that are governed by another jurisdiction”.
“I think that review will make sure that the Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-government organisation that adheres to international law.”
Solomon Islands will host the Pacific Islands Forum in 2025.
The South Pacific was once seen as a bastion of support for Taiwan’s claim to statehood, but China has been methodically whittling this down.
In the last five years, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nauru have all been persuaded to sever diplomatic links with Taiwan in favour of China.
Palau has an election this year in which the country’s links to Taiwan – and a potential switch to China – figure as major campaign talking points.
Source: CNA
