TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A delegation from Taiwan’s foreign ministry arrived in the Kingdom of Tonga on Saturday (Aug. 24) for a summit with regional allies ahead of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting. 

The delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (田中光), will meet with representatives from Palau, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands to discuss cooperation and regional development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated in a press release on Sunday (Aug. 25). This year’s summit will mark Taiwan’s 29th annual dialogue with PIF leaders. 

The PIF is an assembly of 18 member nations which, similar to Taiwan, have all been strategically targeted by Beijing and Washington for influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan has been permitted to participate in the annual PIF forums since 1993 as a special “Development Partner,” per RNZ.

Among the 18 PIF members, many were previously diplomatic allies of Taiwan, including the host nation of Tonga, which broke diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1998. Three other PIF members switched recognition to China during the Tsai administration, including Nauru, Kiribati, and the Solomon Islands. 

MOFA said the Taiwanese delegation will seek to promote bilateral and multilateral development projects in education, technology, and trade. The delegation led by Tien will also confer with allies and dialogue partners at the PIF to promote a message of peace, stability, and prosperity. 

At this year's meeting, scheduled from Aug. 26 to Aug. 30, the island nations will jointly promote policies for the next quarter-century, called the 2050 Strategy. A press release also said that recent political unrest in New Caledonia will be a major item for discussion.