Pacific foreign ministers failed to agree on a regional statement condemning China’s recent ballistic missile test in Pacific waters during talks in Suva, Fiji, on Friday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Chief Executive Officer, Peseta Noumea Simi, represented Samoa at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers Meeting. According to reports by Radio New Zealand (RNZ), most Forum members supported a clear statement opposing missile testing in the nuclear-free Pacific.
As previously reported by the Samoa Observer, China launched a nuclear-capable missile carrying a dummy warhead into the South Pacific last month that splashed down about 1,900 kilometres north-west of Samoa, near the boundary of Tuvalu’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The launch prompted concerns about regional peace and transparency and the timing of prior notification.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters said two unnamed Forum members were attempting to use the organisation’s consensus process as a veto.
