Rift among Pacific islands deals blow to regional unity, stokes fears China will benefit
- Five of the Pacific Islands Forum’s 18 members have announced plans to withdraw, dealing a blow to collective efforts to tackle problems such as climate change
- In a region where Australia, the US and China are jostling for influence, there are concerns that disarray presents an opportunity for Beijing
The five countries on Tuesday released a signed communique confirming their withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Analysts said confirmation of their departure from the group, which also includes Australia and New Zealand, will have broad implications.
The development is a blow to regional unity among the forum, and has larger geopolitical implications, analysts said.
The tiny nation of Palau pulled out of the PIF last week and met leaders of other states in the northern Pacific – the Marshall Islands, Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia and Kiribati – on Monday to discuss whether they should make the same move. The five are known collectively as the Micronesian states.
“Small island nations on their own would absolutely not have the same voice that they have being a part of the forum to project their concerns on a global stage about climate change,” said Jonathan Pryke, director of the Pacific programme at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank.