Kiribati withdraws from Pacific Islands Forum

The remote Pacific island nation of Kiribati has announced it would be withdrawing from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as leaders arrived in Fiji on Monday for the first in-person summit since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pacific has become a site of intense geostrategic competition, as a result of increased interest from China, and Kiribati’s withdrawal will weaken the forum at a time when Pacific regionalism in the face of fierce geopolitical attention has never been more important.

During the four-day meeting, Pacific island leaders will discuss how to gather more international support and funding to fight the impact of rising sea levels and climate change, as well as China’s ambitions for greater security ties across the region.

A bid by Beijing to sign a broader regional trade and security deal with 10 nations that recognise China, but is opposed by some forum members, was also to be discussed.

Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe said in an interview he was saddened by news of Kiribati’s withdrawal and Pacific leaders would need to “look at the concerns raised by Kiribati” when they meet this week.

Taneti Maamau, the president of Kiribati, outlined his reasons for the decision in a letter to the PIF secretary-general.

“Kiribati has taken the sovereign decision to withdraw from the Pacific Islands Forum with immediate effect. This decision was not taken lightly,” he wrote, adding that the decision “was never meant to offend or be against any of our Pacific Island brothers and sisters”.

Maamau outlined four reasons for the decision, most of which centre around his belief that the forum has not adequately addressed the concerns of Micronesian countries – including Kiribati – who threatened to leave the PIF more than a year ago.

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Also being discussed by Pacific leaders is fisheries – tuna is a major source of revenue in the region – but the issue also risks being caught up in geopolitical tensions, Kofe said.

China operates a large fishing fleet in the Pacific and is seeking greater access to one of the world’s richest fishing grounds.

The Quad group of the United States, Japan, Australia and India have offered Pacific islands increased surveillance to stop illegal fishing in exclusive economic zones.

“This geopolitical competition will continue and it is important the Pacific focuses on the issues that are critical to the Pacific – climate change and the conservation of our resources,” Kofe said.

The United States wants to expand a fisheries treaty in the Pacific to cover “other security issues”, he said, and this would be discussed at the forum.

A key forum leaders retreat will be held on Thursday. China had proposed a video meeting between the Chinese Communist Party’s international office and 10 Pacific islands on the same day.

Tuvalu is among four Pacific nations that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan and not Beijing.

Kofe withdrew from a recent U.N. Ocean Conference in Lisbon after China barred the presence of Taiwanese members included in the Tuvalu delegation. He said this was “bully tactics” by China.

Nonetheless, Kofe said Tuvalu doesn’t want differences between China and Taiwan to distract Pacific islands from what unifies all nations in the region this week.

“Maintaining the unity and solidarity of the Pacific family is critical for us to be able to navigate many of these issues that we are facing,” he said.

Zainab Sa’id