The new government has pledged to maintain a “special” relationship with Taiwan, ending speculation that it would switch diplomatic recognition to China.
Tuvalu's new government has pledged to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than switching to China, and said it plans to revise defense and migration agreements with Australia.
Prime Minister Feleti Teo and her seven cabinet ministers, who took office following last month's general election, set out these commitments in a statement of priorities after being sworn in on Wednesday.
“The new government would like to reaffirm its commitment to Tuvalu's long-term and enduring special relationship with the Republic of China and Taiwan,” the statement said.
“We will re-evaluate options to strengthen our relationship and make it more durable, lasting and mutually beneficial.”
Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation of about 11,200 people, is one of only 12 countries with formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, an autonomous democracy that China claims as its territory.
Issues between China and Taiwan heightened during Tuvalu's election campaign when a senior lawmaker floated the idea that the country's new government might review its relationship with Taipei.
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 are in their true long-term interests,” she said. Ta.
Last month, Tuvalu's neighbor Nauru severed ties with Taiwan and switched to China, which had promised more development aid.
In its priorities statement, Teo's government also pledged to review the landmark agreement signed with Canberra in November to provide Tuvaluan citizens with climate change refuge in Australia. This treaty has not yet been ratified.
The new government said it supported the “broad principles and objectives” of the bilateral security agreement, but acknowledged there was a “lack of transparency and consultation” behind the deal.
He said he wanted to renegotiate the agreement with a focus on “preserving Tuvalu's sovereignty.”
Tuvalu's low-lying atoll status makes it particularly vulnerable to global warming.
Two of the country's nine coral islands have already largely disappeared beneath the waves, and climate scientists fear the entire archipelago could become uninhabitable within the next 80 years. ing.
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.
A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said the Canberra government was “ready to work on the priorities set out by Prime Minister Teo and his government.”
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.
