The Pacific Islands Forum chairman and Palau President says China “never bothered” to inform his country of a controversial ballistic missile test earlier this year as Anthony Albanese prepares to leave the multi-day summit that was overshadowed by relations with Beijing. President Surangel Whipps Jr, who has ruled Palau since 2021, said he would discuss the July 6 test during the final two days of the forum.“A unified Pacific voice is critical in getting Beijing to respect sovereignty, to respect transparency, and to be a responsible partner,” Mr Whipps said.“I think that’s the message we should be sending to Beijing. “So, it’s important that we have a unified position and we’ll work on that.”Mr Whipps said Beijing “never bothered to tell us” about the missile, which crossed Palau airspace, and noted an agreement between the Marshall Islands and the US about missile tests conducted there.“What about the rest of us in the Pacific? Don’t we deserve the same?” Mr Whipps said.“There’s a lot of space between Japan and Guam. Why don’t you send it there? Why does it have to come to the middle of the Pacific? “We don’t want our backyard, our homes to be threatened, and, really, disrespectful.”Anthony Albanese, who was in the region after signing a landmark agreement with Fiji at the time of the test, said China, unlike the US, gave “very little notice”.“(That is) certainly not what is expected internationally, from a submarine which went across and landed in the Pacific, near Nauru, near Tuvalu, with no respect for those nations,” he said.“That is why I brought such a strong response from the Pacific, including from Australia.”Conference overshadowedMr Albanese has sought to position Australia as a regional partner to Pacific nations that supports Pacific-led initiatives rather than drives them.He said a solar energy project in Palau was “a practical and clear example of the difference that Australia is able to make due to our support for our Pacific family, making a difference based upon the priorities that are set in the Pacific, respecting their sovereignty of these nations, but doing what we can to make a difference to the lives of people in the Pacific”.However, the Pacific Island Forum has been overshadowed by the “permanent contest” between Australia and China in the region.Leaders of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Kiribati, and the Solomon Islands did not attend, citing domestic political and logistical issues, though New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters described it as “highly suspicious” following fury from Beijing over Taiwan’s attendance. Mr Whipps described criticism by PNG Prime Minister James Marape of Taiwan’s inclusion being a “distraction” as “disappointing if he did say that”. “Because, the bottom line is that Taiwan is a partner and so is China,” he said. “I think what we are doing here in Palau is respecting that they’re partners and they’re all invited to come to PIF – one’s a dialogue partner, one’s a development department.”Mr Whipps said Palau, one of the last holdouts in the Pacific and the world in recognising Taiwan, was committed to a 1993 agreement enabling Taipei to participate in the forum.“That’s what’s keeping the Pacific together because we respect each other’s sovereignty. We respect each other’s partnerships,” he said. “We should maintain that because we are one family.”Asked about expanding the Oceans of Peace Alliance – a landmark pact announced with Fiji earlier this year – Mr Albanese said “we’ll have a chat today” with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.“With regard to Tonga, we had a discussion with the Prime Minister, we had a bilateral, and we are progressing the treaty negotiations that we have with Tonga. They’re very constructive,” he said.