Winston Peters and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele exchange gifts during a NZ delegation to Honiara. 12 May 2024. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Supplied
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters fell just short of confirming that the Solomon Islands has made a unilateral decision to shut the door on Pacific Islands Forum donor countries to this year's annual leaders' summit.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has proposed that the Forum defer the annual dialogue partner meeting when leaders meet in Honiara - a move that will essentially block about two doezen countries from participating at the key regional meeting.
The issue has divided opinion among Pacific leaders, with the likes of Palau, Samoa and Cook Islands backing Honiara, while Fiji's prime minister saying shutting donors out can threaten regional unity.
While wrapping up his whirlwind trip to the PIF Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Suva on Thursday afernoon, Peters told reporters, "At the moment, the answer is no, no visitors or other, shall I say, associates that we've tried to attract over the past times."
When asked whether it was an independent decision by Honiara, he replied: "That's a conclusion you could arrive at, yes."
He said the issue "will be resolved in the context of next year".
The Foreign Minister said this is the second time in just over five years, the PIF "had a problem".
"I remember the last one was the improper positioning of the [PIF] secretary-general's role, not to Micronesia, but to Polynesia. It was clear as daylight back then. I remember it, and we sorted out.
"Here we got now one, not of our internal making, but of external influences. We've made it very clear today (Thursday) in our address what New Zealand thinks."
When asked about his comments earlier on Thursday about "outsiders" creating tensions within the PIF and who specifically was he referring to, Peters said, "Those people who are saying to the Pacific Islands Forum countries, 'we don't want somebody to come'."
"What I'm saying to the Pacific Islands Forum: How does this show respect for us when you got outsiders telling insiders
what to do?"
"If all sorts of countries want to interfere with the Blue Continent, our job is to critically make sure that it's central to all of our thinking...and we mean business."
China responds
China's embassy in New Zealand has rejected what it calls misinformation around partner participation at the Pacific leaders' summit.
There have been accusations by regional political watchers and Pacific government officials that China has influenced Solomon Islands' decision to block PIF partners from the summit over Taiwan's participation.
However, in a statement, a chinese embassy spokesperson said China is not an "outside" influence, rather a dialogue partner something Taiwan is not.
They say Taiwan is a province of China not a country and never will be, something Palau, Marshal Islands and Tuvalu reject.
Taiwan is recognised as a development partner of the PIF since 1992.
