China bullies Pacific Forum into seeing its world view

The Pacific Islands Forum, an organisation of largely Polynesian and Melanesian island nations whose membership also includes Australia and New Zealand, has managed to do what China has been unable to achieve: wipe away Taiwan.

Following complaints from China’s envoy, the forum removed references to Taiwan from a communiqué issued after the region’s annual leaders meeting in Tonga. The 18-nation bloc includes three members with diplomatic ties to Taiwan: Palau, Tuvalu and Marshall Islands. Australia and the 14 others adhere to a one-China policy.

A communiqué released on Friday and posted on the forum website included a section headed “Relations with Taiwan/Republic of China”, stating “Leaders reaffirmed the 1992 Leaders decision on relations with Taiwan/Republic of China”. But China’s special envoy to the Pacific Islands, Qian Bo, reacted angrily to the mention of Taiwan, saying the reference “must be a mistake”. The post vanished that evening to be replaced by a new communiqué on Saturday.

Taiwan has been, and remains, a development partner to the forum since 1993, but diplomatic friends have been dwindling after China ramped up offers of development funding to Pacific island nations. Nauru switched ties to Beijing in January. Kiribati and Solomon Islands, which both now host Chinese police, switched in 2019. The Solomons had been gunning for Taiwan at the forum.

China’s inroads are ringing alarm bells in Canberra. The Herald’s three-part series nearly 18 months ago, Red Alert, identified China as far and away our most dangerous security threat. An expert panel warned of the prospect of war with Beijing within three years. And police chiefs belonging to the secretive Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group, comprising Australia, the US, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, issued a damning critique in June last year of China’s covert plan to place organised crime figures as agents of influence in Pacific island nations and corrupt local politicians.

Historically, Australia has enjoyed close relationships with the island nations, but Coalition governments relegated the Pacific to a second-order status. Ongoing allegations of bribery in our offshore detention program imperilled our position as a trusted influence. The security deal between China and the Solomon Islands on the eve of the last federal election shook us out of our torpor, and the Albanese government has joined the US and has rightly made Pacific diplomacy a priority.

Not only did Foreign Minister Penny Wong visit Fiji for her first overseas trip, but two months later, US Vice President Kamala Harris became the first American leader to address the forum. Subsequently, Australia struck a world-first climate refugee agreement with Tuvalu. We also pushed for a regional Pacific police force to check China’s regional ambitions and the forum last week endorsed Australia’s offer to spend $400 million to fund the Pacific Policing Initiative, establishing a training centre in Brisbane.

However, this latest drama illustrates the balancing act faced by Australia when mending Pacific fences in the face of China’s growing geopolitical expansion.

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