Anthony Albanese is heading to a high-stakes meeting of leaders in the Pacific despite the summit already being engulfed by political tensions and a spate of controversies before it even begins. The Prime Minister, alongside Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy, will arrive at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Palau on Monday afternoon.It marks Mr Albanese’s first official visit to Palau – notably one of Taiwan’s last remaining allies in a region shaped by Chinese efforts to establish strategic influence. This year’s PIF has been billed as a chance to tackle climate, food and fuel security, and transnational drug crime issues, though a slate of high-profile absences have undercut its efforts to spruik a sense of regional unity.For a variety of reasons, the prime ministers of Fiji, Vanuatu, and Samoa as well as the Kiribati president have confirmed they will not attend the summit. Solomons Islands leader Matthew Wale, the outgoing PIF chair, also abruptly withdrew at the last minute to deal with a political challenge to his leadership, just three months after his election.Australia has been in negotiations with the Solomon Islands to establish a security treaty after Mr Wale visited Canberra in June. Mr Albanese has, in recent months, sought bolstered regional alliances in the Pacific, including signing a mutual defence treaty with Fiji, a strategic pact with Vanuatu and progression on talks for a comprehensive treaty with the Solomon Islands. “Australia is a proud member of the Pacific family, and investing in the security and prosperity of our Pacific neighbours makes our region safer and our economy stronger,” Mr Albanese said in a Monday statement. “Our engagement in the Pacific Islands Forum and our contributions to the infrastructure, regional security and climate action of the region matter more than ever before.“The big challenges facing the Pacific require solutions designed and delivered for the Pacific, by the Pacific. And Australia has a key role to play – as a partner and leader.”It is understood senior public servants will take the place of most regional leaders absent from the PIF. The dialogue will take place weeks after China sparked sharp rebukes from regional leaders following its controversial ballistic missile test performed last month.Beijing fired the ballistic missile that flew over islands in the Pacific from a submarine on July 6. The missile – armed with a dummy warhead – appeared to hit waters near Tuvalu’s exclusive economic zone.Alongside Australia and New Zealand, countries including PNG, the Solomon Islands, and the Philippines criticised the move, which China justified at the time as “routine”.At the time, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy had argued the incident made a case for a regional security pact.