China and Taiwan Both Come Bearing Gifts — Last Week in the Pacific
On 1 July, China’s Pacific embassies marked the CCP’s 105th founding anniversary with a coordinated regional push. Every embassy posted extensive graphics, videos, and messaging across social media. In Fiji and Vanuatu, China’s diplomats published op-eds in the local press.
In Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Yang Xiaoguang held a press briefing attended by the Prime Minister.
Embassies in Nauru and Vanuatu hosted receptions. In Vanuatu, every member of Parliament attended. Nauru’s primary print outlet dedicated its entire front page to the anniversary.
Summary of PRC Activity
China and Taiwan each donated to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) last week as Forum leaders convened in Fiji—a parallel play for influence at the region’s premier multilateral body. China’s Special Envoy Qian Bo met with the PIF Secretariat and Tonga’s Prime Minister on the sidelines. Chinese embassies across the region marked the CCP’s 105th founding anniversary in coordinated regional observance.
(Source: Pacific Islands Forum Facebook)
This Week’s Big Theme:
China and Taiwan Compete in the PIF
As the Pacific Island Forum Troika—the leaders of Tonga, the Solomon Islands, and Palau—met with PIF Secretary General Baron Waqa in Fiji, China and Taiwan each moved to deepen their standing with the Forum. On 30 June, China’s Chargé d’Affaires in Fiji, Wang Yuan, presented a US$1.08 million donation to the PIF under the China-Pacific Islands Forum Cooperation Fund. The same day, Acting Representative of the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji, Jason Chih-Sheng Huang, presented a US$2 million donation—nearly double China’s contribution. Deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi received both gifts.
Taiwan’s donation will contribute to strengthening the Forum’s internal capacity, assisting smaller island states, and funding joint projects through the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific. China’s donation will flow primarily to the Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Beijing Office, with additional allocations to PTI Network Activities and Forum priorities. Special Envoy Qian Bo also traveled to Suva, where he and Wang Yuan met with Baron Waqa and the PIF Secretariat. The PIF readout states that the parties discussed the donation and preparations for the upcoming PIF Leaders Meeting in Palau.
The diplomatic context matters: before last year’s Leaders Meeting in the Solomon Islands, China tried to block Taiwan’s participation through its relationship with the host government. The attempt triggered a controversy resolved only by excluding all development and dialogue partners—including both China and Taiwan—from the meeting. By directly engaging the PIF Secretariat, China may shape conditions for Palau’s Leaders Meeting without going through Palau, with which it has no diplomatic relations.
Qian Bo also met separately with Tonga’s Prime Minister, Lord Fakafanua, and presented him with a volume of Xi Jinping’s The Governance of China.
Supporting Events
- Fiji: Wang Yuan Presents PIF Donation
- Fiji: Taiwan Presents PIF Donation
- Fiji: Qian Bo Meets with Baron Waqa
- Tonga: Qian Bo Meets with PM Lord Fakafanua
* The PRC Pacific Embassies Monitor provides systematic, open-source tracking of Beijing’s public diplomatic activities across the nine Pacific Island Countries hosting Chinese missions. The monitor captures official embassy social media and website posts, supplemented by local sources, to offer a weekly structured intelligence report that bridges critical information gaps on regional engagement.