US backs Taiwan’s bid to join Pacific Islands Forum amid China pressure

Taiwan’s foreign minister Lin Chia-lung announced that the country appreciates Washington’s backing of its participation in the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting and is ready to contribute to regional security and resilience. The comment came after a virtual State Department briefing in which the United States condemned China’s diplomatic and military pressure aimed at excluding Taiwan. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands Matt Murray described a collaborative effort to build secure undersea internet cables with Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and private sector partners, and cited concerns over China’s illegal fishing, corruption, economic coercion and submarine missile launches.

He reiterated U.S. opposition to Chinese attempts to force Pacific nations to downgrade ties with Taiwan and stressed that Taiwan has been a development partner of the Forum since 1992. In parallel, Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior reported its 400th high-level professional naturalized as a citizen, highlighting the island’s leadership in semiconductors, AI and energy technology. The article also noted new tracking data on Formosan black bears showing they are moving closer to human settlements, raising conflict risks.