- Tuvalu’s new government, led by Prime Minister Feleti Teo, has confirmed its determination to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
- Despite pressure from China to encourage Tuvalu to switch recognition to China, the new government has prioritized strengthening ties with Taiwan.
- The government will also reassess its security agreement with Australia with the aim of addressing transparency concerns.
Tuvalu’s new government on Wednesday promised the small South Pacific island nation to continue diplomatic relations with Taiwan in exchange for switching to Beijing, but in response to China’s growing regional influence. , said it plans to renegotiate the security agreement it recently signed with Australia.
Prime Minister Feleti Teo and seven ministers took the oath of office on Wednesday following a general election held last month in the strategically important country of 11,500 people.
Campaign issues included whether the former British colony should switch its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing. Some candidates have proposed scrapping an unratified agreement that gives Australia a veto over security and defense deals that Tuvalu seeks to strike with other countries, including China.
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The new government issued a statement of priorities pledging to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which have existed since Tuvalu gained independence in 1978.
Aerial view of the downtown and airport runway between the Pacific Ocean and the lagoon in Funafuti, Tuvalu, November 28, 2019. Tuvalu’s new government on Wednesday committed the small South Pacific island nation to continuing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. (Tama Mario/Getty Images)
Tuvalu “will evaluate options to strengthen and elevate a more durable, lasting and mutually beneficial relationship,” the statement said.
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning in Beijing urged Tuvalu to switch its diplomatic recognition to China.
“We call on the few countries that still maintain so-called relations with the Taiwan region to be on the right side of history and make the right decisions that truly serve their long-term interests,” she said. Stated.
Last month, Nauru, another Pacific island nation, severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan, heightening the China issue.
Tuvalu is one of only 12 countries that have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, an autonomous democracy that China claims as its own territory.
Tuvalu’s new government said it supported the “broad principles and objectives” of the bilateral security agreement with Australia announced last November.
But he acknowledged there was a “lack of transparency and consultation” behind the treaty and said he wanted to renegotiate the agreement with a focus on “protecting the integrity of Tuvalu’s sovereignty.”
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Tuvalu’s low-lying atoll status makes it particularly vulnerable to global warming. In the treaty, Australia offered Tuvaluans a lifeline to help them escape rising sea levels and intensifying storms due to climate change. Australia initially planned to allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to come to Australia each year.
The treaty also commits Australia to assist Tuvalu in response to major natural disasters, pandemics and military invasions.
In return, Australia would receive controversial veto powers seen as an attempt to block Chinese military presence in Tuvalu.
Influential allies in the region, the United States and Australia, responded to China’s security agreement with the Solomon Islands in 2022, raising the possibility of a Chinese naval base in the south. We are rapidly building bridges with Pacific Island countries. Pacific.
