Beijing accuses Pacific forum host Palau of ‘hype’ over its missile test

Beijing has accused Palau of trying to stir up concern over China's ballistic missile test as the Pacific Islands Forum summit host pressed regional governments to condemn the launch.

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That's definitely something that we'll be discussing today, and a unified Pacific voice is critical in getting Beijing to respect sovereignty, to respect transparency, and to be a responsible partner.

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. said he hoped the issue would appear in a joint statement from the 18-nation group when the summit ended on Thursday. "That's definitely something that we'll be discussing today, and a unified Pacific voice is critical in getting Beijing to respect sovereignty, to respect transparency, and to be a responsible partner," he told reporters.

Palau, he said, did not want its region and homes threatened or disrespected. The July launch marked Beijing's first known missile test in the Pacific since September 2024. It came hours after Fiji and Australia signed a major defence treaty, giving Fiji its first formal alliance.

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We don't want our backyard, our homes, to be threatened and really disrespected.

Pacific foreign ministers failed last month to agree on a statement condemning the test, even though individual leaders had voiced alarm about the region's militarisation. China says the launch was conducted safely and has rejected claims that it is pursuing military expansion. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun accused Palau of "repeated hype and attempts to manipulate the positions of other Pacific Islands Forum member states" and said such efforts would fail. He added that China was willing to work with South Pacific countries to maintain regional peace, stability and prosperity.

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Palau's repeated hype and attempts to manipulate the positions of other Pacific Islands Forum member states are malicious and will not succeed.

The summit has also been strained by Beijing's opposition to Taiwan's presence. China says Taiwan is not qualified to attend and claims the self-governed island as its territory. Palau is one of three Pacific island states with formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan. Several leaders stayed away, including the prime ministers of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands and the president of Kiribati, who sent lower-ranking ministers instead. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he was "highly suspicious" that foreign interference might have influenced some absences. China called the suggestion unfounded.

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highly suspicious