TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he is comfortable with Taiwan’s role at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on Thursday (Aug. 29).

Speaking in Tonga, Luxon said the issue had been raised with him and that New Zealand is “quite comfortable” with how things are now. “We don’t see any need to change anything,” he said, per the New Zealand Herald.

Luxon said any decision to exclude parties from regional forums should be made via consensus. He also said he suspected the role of partner countries would be discussed at PIF meetings over the coming days.

Luxon’s comments followed an article that reported the Solomon Islands would challenge Taiwan’s participation at the forum when it met in Tonga. The report said the Solomon Islands, a country that switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019, would do so on a directive from China.

The Solomon Islands are set to host the forum in 2025. However, 1 News reported that officials privately expressed the belief that no attempts will be made to downgrade Taiwan’s status during the PIF meetings in Tonga.

President of Taiwan-allied Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr, said he would fight any motion to exclude Taiwan. “Taiwan has been a partner to all the Pacific Islands and continues to be, and if one country decides that they don't want to be their friend or they want to kick them out, that's not right," he said.

A major Australian-backed policing initiative was agreed to at the PIF meeting on Wednesday (Aug. 28), which observers see as pushback against China's growing influence in the Pacific, per Reuters. Pacific islands countries' responses to the climate crisis and measures to build climate resilience also topped meeting agendas.