Taipei: Taiwan will participate in a significant assembly of Pacific island nations later this year in Palau, following its exclusion from the 2025 event. Michael Lin, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, confirmed Taiwan's participation in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting, scheduled from August 30 to September 4 in Palau.

According to Focus Taiwan, Lin did not specify the nature of Taiwan's participation, though it may involve hosting side events at the forum, as has been traditional in previous years. However, during the 2025 forum hosted by the Solomon Islands, Taiwan's representatives were not permitted to attend.

The Palau government aims to focus on enhancing regional good governance, development, and resilience in collaboration with democratic partners at the 2026 summit, Lin mentioned. Taiwan plans to work closely with Palau, one of its 12 formal diplomatic allies, to showcase the outcomes of their longstanding bilateral cooperation during the upcoming PIF summit, though details were not disclosed.

In a prior visit to Palau in December, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung committed Taiwan to assist Palau in developing energy-efficient, environmentally friendly transport shuttles to ferry delegates during the PIF meeting. Post-event, these shuttles will be used for public transportation in Palau.

Though not a PIF member, Taiwan has been a "development partner" in PIF frameworks since 1993, often organizing the Taiwan/Republic of China-Forum Countries Dialogue and other related events during the PIF's annual summit in the host nation. However, the previous PIF Leaders Meeting in the Solomon Islands included only the bloc's 18 member states, with partner countries like China, the U.S., and Taiwan excluded due to an ongoing review of the forum's partnership arrangements.

Media reports have indicated that the Solomon Islands, which shifted diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019, might have sought to prevent Taiwan's participation due to pressure from Beijing. This is part of China's broader strategy to expand its influence in the Pacific and diplomatically isolate Taiwan on the global stage.