Pacific leaders issue joint rebuke over China missile test
From left, Pacific Islands' Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa, Palau President Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr., Solomon Islands' Minister for Foreign Affairs Rick Nelson Houenipwela and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attending a news conference after the closing ceremony of the Pacific Islands Forum in Koror, Palau, on Thursday. | AFP-JIJI
Sep 4, 2026
Koror, Palau – Pacific island nations condemned a Chinese missile test into their midst in a joint statement agreed Thursday, despite pressure from Beijing on Palau, the host of a regional leaders’ meeting.
The Pacific Islands Forum summit communique, read by Palau’s President Surangel Whipps at a late-night news conference, calls for at least 24 hours’ notice of any intercontinental ballistic missile testing.
The statement was agreed by 17 of 18 forum members, with Nauru dissenting.
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