TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan is actively seeking to participate in the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum (PIF, 太平洋島國論壇), a key regional intergovernmental organization, scheduled to take place in the Solomon Islands from Sept. 8 to 12. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 外交部), Taiwan's diplomatic agency, announced Tuesday (July 1) that despite complex regional politics, the island democracy plans to send an official delegation and host the Taiwan/Republic of China–Forum Countries Dialogue (台灣/中華民國與PIF國家對話會議), a parallel diplomatic event that has become a tradition during the annual forum.
The diplomatic landscape for Taiwan's participation has grown increasingly complex since the Solomon Islands government disclosed on June 12 that China had sponsored US$1 million (approximately NT$29.22 million) to assist with forum logistics, specifically allocating these funds for 27 vehicles to transport attending dignitaries. During Tuesday's press briefing, Lan Sha-li (藍夏禮), director general of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (亞太司), Taiwan's regional diplomatic bureau, emphasized Taiwan's longstanding role as a development partner in PIF mechanisms since 1993, highlighting how the island nation has consistently organized and promoted the dialogue meeting as a fixture during the annual summit.
In his remarks, Lan candidly acknowledged the diplomatic hurdles presented by this year's host country, the Solomon Islands, which switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019, but assured reporters that Taiwan is proceeding with standard planning protocols while maintaining communication through multiple diplomatic and unofficial channels. The senior diplomat highlighted Taiwan's substantial ongoing contributions to numerous PIF development projects and related regional organizations throughout the Pacific, including educational scholarships and technical assistance programs. These continued investments, Lan suggested, have helped maintain Taiwan's regional influence as Pacific nations continue to recognize and value the island's long-term development partnership despite shifting formal diplomatic alignments.
The diplomatic tensions underlying Taiwan's forum participation efforts stem from a significant shift in regional alliances. Taiwan and the Solomon Islands had maintained formal diplomatic relations for 36 years since their establishment in 1983, but the Pacific nation abruptly severed these ties in September 2019, in favor of recognizing Beijing. Taiwan's foreign ministry responded swiftly, with then-Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) publicly accusing China of orchestrating the diplomatic switch through what he termed "monetary diplomacy" — financial incentives offered to the Solomon Islands government. This diplomatic rupture has created the unusual circumstance of Taiwan now seeking to participate in a major regional forum hosted by a former ally that no longer officially recognizes its government. ◼