Taiwan defends attendance at Pacific meeting amid China's 'threat'

KOROR, Palau - Taiwan has defended its participation in the annual Pacific Islands Forum currently being held in Palau, urging member states not to let China dictate terms to smaller island nations following a Chinese envoy's criticism of Taiwan's attendance. China's special envoy for Pacific island affairs, Qian Bo, threatened unspecified consequences after Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung attended the forum's opening ceremony on Monday.

Chia-lung stated that China's envoy is merely issuing a threat, and that Taiwan has attended the forum for over three decades, making exclusion unjustified for Taiwan as a development partner. China, which considers Taiwan its territory to be reunited with by force if necessary, has attempted to exclude the democratically governed island from the forum.

Taiwan maintains formal diplomatic ties only with Palau and two other countries in the 18-member forum, alongside New Zealand, Australia, and Pacific island states. Taiwan is not a dialogue partner like China, Japan, and the United States, but it is a formal development partner. Chia-lung expressed optimism about Taiwan's participation in the forum when it hosts in New Zealand next year, despite lacking formal diplomatic ties with Wellington.

He emphasized that only member states should make decisions for the forum, stating that compromises should not be made due to China's "bullying."