00:00And the Pacific is once again at the center of strategic competition between China and the United States.
00:05The Pacific Islands Forum is putting tensions over Taiwan and the future of the region under the spotlight.
00:11From Beijing, Bruno Falci has the details.
00:14Greetings, comrades. I'm here in Beijing to report on China's reaction to Taiwan's participation in the Pacific Islands Forum.
00:23Being held in Palau from August the 30th to September the 4th, China's Special Envoy for Pacific Affairs,
00:32Chiang Bo, said on Tuesday that the presence of Taiwan's foreign minister at the meeting is inappropriate and warned that
00:41there will be consequences.
00:43I thought he did not specify what that would be.
00:47Taiwan is participating in the forum as a development partner, while the People Republic of China is one of the
00:58organization's official dialogue partner.
01:02Taiwan is part of China.
01:05Beijing maintains that its participation in international organizations must respect the One China Principle,
01:15whose basis lies in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, adopted in 1971,
01:28which recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China at the organization.
01:37The Pacific Island Forum brings together 80 countries with an agenda that includes climate change, development, financing and food security,
01:51as well as transnational crimes.
01:54Australia and New Zealand defended the organization's autonomy and its right to decide who participated in its meeting.
02:04The dispute also reflects a broader struggle for influence in the Pacific,
02:12where China, the United States, Australia and New Zealand are seeking to expand their presence and influence in the region.
02:22On Tuesday, the United States and New Zealand announced a joint investment of around 60 million dollars to modernize a
02:33port in the Cook Island.
02:36From Beijing, the capital of China, we will go back with you in the studios.
02:41And now, we'll see you in the studios.
02:42.
