Kiribati has been snubbed at the Pacific Islands Forum closing in Palau, calling it "disappointing" – after also being absent during the Leaders Retreat.
The island nation sent a special envoy, public servant and head of the Foreign Service and its former High Commissioner to China, David Teeabo, to the annual 18-member leaders' meeting instead of President Taneti Maamau or a political minister.
Kiribati has close links to China and had joined Naoero (Nauru) in refusing to agree to a regional leaders' statement condemning a Chinese missile test in the Pacific.
It's not clear why Kiribati didn't attend the retreat, whether by choice or whether a car did not turn up to pick up its delegation head, but it means the island nation was not part of important face-to-face dialogue between leaders.
To compound the issue, at the summit's closing, Kiribati was omitted from the list of member countries.
All 18 representatives, including New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, were seated in the front row and were acknowledged one by one, but Teeabo was unannounced and left seated. It was later corrected, but speaking to BPA News in Kiribati after the ceremony, Teeabo said it was disappointing.
"What else to say but protocol-wise, it's not good... I don't know where the mistake comes from, the MC's or somewhere else," he said.
The final communiqué, released after the retreat, contained a watered-down version protesting China's missile launch, with Nauru abstaining.
The text doesn't even name China, instead saying the leaders "registered concern on the recent intercontinental ballistic missile test which overflew a number of Members, without adequate notice". It called on "all States undertaking ICBM testing to ensure transparency and reassurance" giving at least 24 hours notice. Leaders have also "expressed deep concern" at rising global nuclear risks and increasing tensions among nuclear-armed states.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told 1News in an exclusive interview that the missile had flown over the Federated States of Micronesia with only two hours' notice.
"It is a great concern to us that a country with whom we have a defence and security compact has a missile flying overhead that they did not receive proper notice of," he said.
In the communique, because of the "increasingly complex regional and global environment ", leaders emphasised the need for a more coherent and strategic approach to advancing Pacific interests.
Reforming what is considered to be an overly bureaucratic and unwieldy organisation is also on the cards.
There are 21 dialogue partners, including the US, China and the UK, but leaders have repeatedly called for partnerships that are "genuine, durable and accountable" amid complaints that some partners do little for the region and only show up to PIF meetings to advance their own agendas. That was agreed to in the communique, and there are to be two partnership streams depending on what they bring to the table.
New Zealand will host next year's Pacific Islands Forum, and Christopher Luxon told 1News that he wants to see the dialogue countries develop a four-year plan outlining how they intend to partner with PIF and its member countries. He said if they can’t deliver on what they promise, they can’t come to PIF leaders' meetings.
Growing uncertainty facing pacific countries is noted "marked by intensifying geopolitical competition, economic volatility, climate threat and rapid technological change" which needs a united and strategic response.
"Leaders reaffirmed that regional priorities and aspirations must remain at the centre of the region's engagement with institutional partners and institutions".
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