China warns of ‘consequences’ over Taiwan presence at Pacific leaders meeting
Taiwanese foreign minister Lin Chia-lung was invited for meetings and side events held alongside the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau.
China has expressed its "serious concerns" and warned of "consequences" regarding Taiwan's participation in the annual Pacific Islands Forum held in Palau. Taiwan, which is not a formal dialogue partner of the forum, attended the opening ceremony. China views Taiwan as its own territory, and tensions between China and Taiwan have been a recurring issue at the forum.
Qian Bo, China's special envoy for Pacific island affairs, stated that there will always be consequences for Taiwan's presence at the event, though he did not specify what those consequences would be. This action was seen as inappropriate and objected to by all, according to Qian Bo. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that the Pacific Islands Forum is primarily a gathering of the Pacific family and does not take instructions from any other country.
New Zealand's foreign minister, Winston Peters, echoed this sentiment, stating that the group does not take instructions from any country outside of it. Taiwan has been invited for meetings and side events held alongside the forum.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
