TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands said Wednesday that representatives from Taiwan, as well as those from the US and China, will be excluded from the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum. 

The announcement was made amid controversy over whether Taiwan should be invited to attend the annual gathering. To settle the issue, Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele took the unprecedented step of blocking all dialogue partners from the forum scheduled for September, Reuters reported.  

The dialogue partners are 21 nations who are usually invited to the PIF gathering in a consultative role. The group includes China, the US, along with other major economies of Europe, Asia and the Americas. Taiwan is classified separately by the PIF as a development partner.

Reports indicate that the decision was made to exclude dialogue partners this year because of Beijing’s insistence that Taiwanese representatives be excluded. However, Manele said the decision was made because the Cabinet was unable to complete a thorough review of each partner’s relationship to the Pacific region, per Reuters.

Three of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, including Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, are PIF members. The three nations reportedly lobbied for Taiwan’s inclusion, expressing concern Taiwan’s envoy might be banned. 

Palau has expressed support for Honiara’s decision to rescind invitations to dialogue partners for the 2025 forum, reported RNZ. 

Reports indicate that groups classified as “observers,” which includes the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Secretariat will still be invited to the PIF forum. This year’s forum will discuss ratifying the Ocean of Peace Declaration and implementing the Pacific Resilience Facility initiative.

China is an important security partner and benefactor for the Solomon Islands. The country was formerly a diplomatic ally of Taiwan until 2019, when Honiara broke ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing.