00:00Well, the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting is kicking off today here in Honiara, the capital
00:08of Solomon Islands, and it's going to be a frenetic week of high-level diplomacy.
00:13Several leaders have already touched down here in Solomon Islands, with the Prime Minister
00:18Anthony Albanese due to join them later this week.
00:22The meeting has attracted plenty of controversy before even beginning, including over Solomon
00:27Islands' controversial decision to block almost two dozen so-called dialogue partners, that's
00:33basically outside countries with friendly relationships with the Pacific, from attending
00:38the meeting.
00:39Solomon Islands says the reason is purely procedural, but few here in Honiara buy that excuse.
00:46Many are convinced that Solomon Islands has essentially been forced into this position
00:50because it wanted to find a way to exclude Taiwan from the meeting, particularly because
00:56Beijing has been heaping pressure on Solomon Islands to do exactly that.
01:01And they say Mr. Minele's awkward compromise, blocking all partners, is basically the only
01:06way he could accede to that wish without also risking a damaging stoush with Taiwan's remaining
01:12Pacific partners.
01:14Pacific leaders, though, won't want to focus too much on that, although many will want to
01:18make sure it doesn't ever happen again.
01:20Instead they're going to be focused on some of their key priorities.
01:24And as ever, at the top of that list is climate change.
01:27Later this week, we're likely to see the Pacific Resilience Facility officially established
01:33by a treaty.
01:34That's a new fund for climate finance that Pacific leaders and countries have direct control
01:39over.
01:40The aim is for it to reach 500 million USD by the end of next year.
01:44A very lofty, perhaps difficult goal, but one that Pacific leaders say they have to meet
01:51in order to help their countries deal with the ravages of climate change.
01:55We're also likely to see a declaration of the so-called Ocean of Peace by Pacific leaders.
02:01This is an initiative by Fiji's Prime Minister, Fiji's Prime Minister Sitveni Rambuka, designed
02:07to try and lay down some key principles that can really guide foreign policy in the region.
02:12Although close observers say, given some of the stakes and given the tensions around things
02:17like China's role in the security space, the language is likely to be deliberately careful
02:23and very broad.
02:26Of course, it's not just what happens inside the meeting rooms here in Honiara.
02:30It's also about what happens on the streets.
02:32There's a real buzz around the town as people prepare for the influx of hundreds of journalists,
02:37officials and dignitaries.
02:39And inevitably, there's going to be a close focus on exactly what role China does or doesn't
02:45play here on the ground.
02:47In particular, what role, if any, will Chinese police play through the week?
02:51Australia and others would dearly like to relegate them to the margins.
02:55China, unsurprisingly, has other ideas.
02:58The other question looming over this, of course, is how much credit both China and Australia
03:03get for their assistance.
03:04Both countries have poured millions of dollars into helping Solomon Islands prepare and hold
03:10this event.
03:11There's been almost a beauty contest in the papers over the last few weeks, with both countries
03:16offering substantial donations, whether of police vehicles or police equipment, fixing
03:21up the roads, helping put solar panels on the buildings, really doing everything possible
03:26to make the venues look as good as they can.
03:29All of this means that inevitably what happens this week will be seen once again as a litmus
03:34test of just how much China has made inroads in Solomon Islands and a measure of just how
03:40determined Australia is to maintain the security and broader partner of choice for this critically
03:46important Pacific Island neighbour.
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