Palau urges a unified Pacific response to China’s intercontinental ballistic missile test

Palau President Surangel Whipps wants the Pacific Islands Forum to send Beijing a single message: respect regional sovereignty, improve transparency and act as a responsible partner.

“

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.

Speaking on the final day of a summit hosted in Palau, Whipps said the region would discuss a unified response to China’s July launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. China gave only a handful of countries advance notice before the test, which appeared to end in the ocean between Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu, according to monitors.

The launch drew condemnation from several Pacific leaders, but the 18-member forum had not issued a formal response. Leaders were expected to negotiate the wording of a joint communique during a retreat on Thursday. Whipps said Beijing had “threatened and really disrespected” the region by failing to notify Pacific countries about the test.

“

I think that’s the message that we should be sending to Beijing. So it’s important we have a unified position and we’ll work on that.

China described the launch as “a routine arrangement of China’s annual military training” and said relevant countries had received advance notice. Tensions at the summit also grew after Palau invited Taiwan, a diplomatic ally, to attend side events as an aid partner. China’s Pacific envoy, Qian Bo, warned of “consequences” after Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, joined the opening ceremony.

“

threatened and really disrespected

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said foreign interference could have contributed to the absence of several leaders. Kiribati’s pro-Beijing president did not attend, while Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale left Palau to address a political crisis at home. Wale had recently been elected after pledging to review a secret security pact with Beijing and repair ties with the United States and Australia.

“

Well, you’d be defying gravity and logic if you said it wasn’t a big problem.