Leaders from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands are reportedly opting to send representatives instead of attending this year’s Pacific Islands Forum, set to commence in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on Monday. This decision may have implications for regional unity, particularly as China and the United States vie for influence in the region.
The three nations, which have been courted by both China and the US for security and economic ties in the strategically important South Pacific, will have ministers representing them at the forum meeting.
As per Reuters, Papua New Guinea’s Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso will be present at the meeting. However, an official from the nation, the most populous in the forum, did not specify why Prime Minister James Marape is skipping the annual event.
Vanuatu will be represented by Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu, attending on behalf of Prime Minister Charlot Salwai.
Solomon Islands’ government confirmed that Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele will lead the nation’s delegation, as Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is occupied with responsibilities as the Minister for Pacific Games and parliament.
Additionally, New Zealand, still without a government following the election, will send a representative from the incoming National government and the deputy prime minister from the caretaker Labour government.
The Pacific Islands Forum, established in 1971, is the region’s premier political and economic policy organization. It consists of 18 member nations from three sub-regions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, along with Australia and New Zealand.
The forum envisions “a region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion, and prosperity, so that all Pacific people can lead free, healthy, and productive lives,” as stated on its website.
The 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister of Cook Islands, Honourable Mark Brown, will take place from November 6 to 10, 2023. During this four-day meeting, the focus will be on “strengthening regionalism,” as reported by Reuters. However, Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Regenvanu expressed that this may be challenging with key nations not sending their leaders, considering the region’s most pressing challenges are rising sea levels and worsening storms due to climate change.
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