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Palau Seeks Pacific Forum Condemnation of China's Missile Test, Beijing Attacks Taiwan Friend

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. urged the 18 Pacific Islands Forum members to agree on a joint condemnation of China's early-July missile test in the Pacific.
  • China accused Palau of repeatedly exploiting the issue and trying to force other forum members to adopt its position.
  • China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead into the Pacific on July 6, prompting criticism from several island nations.

Palau is seeking a united Pacific Islands Forum condemnation of China's missile test, but Beijing has rejected the effort as an attempt to pressure other island nations.

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., host of the 55th PIF summit and its current chair, said on Sept. 3 that he hoped all 18 members could reach agreement before the meeting ended. He wanted the condemnation included in the summit's joint statement.

“This is undoubtedly an issue we will discuss today; Beijing should respect the sovereignty of the Pacific island nations, respect transparency, and act as a responsible partner. It is extremely important for the Pacific to speak with one voice,” Whipps said at a news conference. “We do not want our own ‘backyard’, our home, to be threatened or completely disrespected.”

This is undoubtedly an issue we will discuss today; Beijing should respect the sovereignty of the Pacific island nations, respect transparency, and act as a responsible partner. It is extremely important for the Pacific to speak with one voice. We do not want our own ‘backyard’, our home, to be threatened or completely disrespected.

· Surangel Whipps Jr., President of Palau and chair of the Pacific Islands ForumWhipps called for the forum members to jointly condemn China's missile test and defend the sovereignty of Pacific island nations.

China's Foreign Ministry responded the same day. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China had explained its position on the test several times and accused Palau of “repeatedly hyping the issue” and having “sinister intentions” while trying to bind other forum members to its position. He said the effort would not succeed.

China said it follows a path of peaceful development and maintains a defensive national defense policy, adding that it does not pursue military expansion. On July 6, China test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile toward the Pacific. The missile landed in an area between Nauru, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands, an action that drew condemnation from numerous Pacific island nations.

Palau has repeatedly hyped the issue, attempting to bind other Pacific Islands Forum members to its position. Its intentions are sinister, and its plot will not succeed.

· Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign AffairsGuo rejected Palau's effort to include a condemnation in the forum's joint statement.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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