Beijing-Taipei tensions a feature at meeting in Palau, with Australia and New Zealand saying the forum – not another country – will determine who attends
China said it had serious concerns about Taiwan’s presence at the annual Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, warning of “consequences” after the democratically ruled island attended the group’s opening ceremony on Monday.
China views Taiwan as its own territory, and China-Taiwan tensions have featured prominently at the meeting, which is intended to demonstrate regional unity.
“There will always be consequences,” Qian Bo, China’s special envoy for Pacific island affairs, said of Taiwan attending the event. “It’s not a threat,” he said, without specifying what the consequences would be.
“This is objected to by all, so this should not have happened. We think it’s very inappropriate to do so,” he told reporters on Monday after an opening ceremony in Palau, an archipelago of more than 500 islands that has maintained diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
