TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s diplomatic ally Tuvalu has chosen Feleti Teo as its new prime minister, rejecting a candidate who pledged to "review" ties with Taiwan.
Former attorney general and fisheries official Teo was elected unanimously by the country’s parliament, two lawmakers said on Monday (Feb. 26), after a month-long delay caused by bad weather following a general election. Member of Parliament Simon Kofe congratulated Teo on social media and said that it was the first time a prime minister had been elected unopposed in Tuvalu.
Kofe said that Teo’s inauguration, along with those of the country’s new MPs, will take place this week.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry issued a statement and said Ambassador Lin Tung-heng (林東亨) had sent congratulations to Tuvalu’s Governor General on behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after the news broke. The statement said Taiwan’s vice foreign minister Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) will visit Tuvalu in the near future on behalf of the president to show support for the new government.
Assistant professor at California State University and Tuvalu politics scholar Jess Marinaccio told Taiwan News that, “Teo will be an excellent PM who can protect and promote Tuvalu’s interests well.”
Marinaccio said she understood that Teo had accumulated a high number of MPs who supported his bid for prime minister, meaning that it was likely easier to reach a consensus amongst parliamentarians.
“Teo also has a tremendous amount of international experience, having previously worked for Pacific Islands Forum, and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, and I am sure that he is respected by the other MPs,” she said.
Feleti Teo at the general meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in Nadi, Fiji, 2016. (Wikimedia Commons photo)
Former finance minister Paeniu was elected to parliament in the general election and said before the election that he would review ties with Taiwan and China. He said this would be done to ensure a foreign policy approach that was most beneficial to his country.
Marinaccio said that if Paeniu becomes a cabinet minister, he will still be able to implement his review. Tuvalu's list of cabinet ministers has not yet been made public.
Teo’s stance on Tuvalu’s formal diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, and his country’s relationship with China, has also not yet been made public. Lowy Institute Pacific Islands researcher Mihai Sora told Taiwan News that China continues to press Pacific Island countries to not recognize Taiwan.
Congratulations to Hon. Feleti Teo, who was elected unopposed as Tuvalu's new Prime Minister this morning. It is the first time in our history that a Prime Minister has been nominated unopposed. The inauguration of the PM and Cabinet Ministers will take place this week. pic.twitter.com/gmNmku2KSG
— Simon Kofe (@Simon_Kofe) February 25, 2024
“But, China conducts this kind of diplomacy behind closed doors, so it is not visible to the public or the wider international community, Sora said. “Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see what the new Tuvalu Prime Minister decides to do.”
Neighboring Pacific Island country Nauru became the latest of Taiwan’s formal diplomatic allies to break ties in favor of China after the election of the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te (賴清德) as president in January. Taiwan has 12 formal diplomatic allies remaining, three of which are in the Pacific region.
On the domestic front, Sora said that he expects Teo to prioritize climate action, which he noted is an “existential issue” for Tuvalu. He said pressuring countries with high carbon emissions to take responsibility for climate damage and calling for stricter emissions targets will feature in Tuvalu’s bilateral negations with any countries going forward.