Pacific leaders voice concern, not condemnation, over Chinese missile test

Pacific leaders attending their annual regional summit in Palau have agreed to a joint statement registering collective "concern" over China's ballistic missile launch into Pacific waters in July. However, the group stopped short of a stronger rebuke, and the statement did not secure unanimous backing.

The decision was seen as a test of how intensifying great-power rivalry in the region is affecting relations among the mostly small island states. While many members had individually criticised Beijing's move at the time, forging a unified position proved difficult.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed that Nauru dissented from the statement of concern. Nauru has moved closer to Beijing in recent years, severing its diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2024. Kiribati, whose leader was absent from the summit and sent a former ambassador to China in his place, had no representative at the daylong retreat where the communiqué was finalised.

Luxon downplayed the significance of both the dissent and the absence, saying the group had reached "a very good place." He argued that Nauru's position should not prevent the Forum from expressing a consensus view. The reasons for Kiribati's absence were not immediately clear.

The episode highlights the growing geopolitical complexity facing the Pacific, where major powers are competing for influence through aid and diplomatic overtures. Palau, the summit host, remains one of the few countries that still recognises Taiwan, a factor some suggested could explain certain absences, though no public evidence supports that claim. Officials attributed the missing leaders to ill-health or domestic political issues.

The failure to reach full consensus mirrors an earlier meeting of foreign ministers in Suva, which also ended without a joint statement on the missile launch, reportedly due to objections from Nauru and Kiribati.