Transcript
NIC MACLELLAN: The 18 forum dialogue partners met with forum member countries in a session to discuss the issues on the agenda. During the session there was a significant incident where the Chinese special envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum Dialogue sought to speak to the meeting. I wasn't in the room but have confirmed with a number of participants that he wished to address the session and the forum chair, who was chairing the session, President Baron Waqa of Nauru, reportedly wouldn't allow him to speak and at that point the Chinese representative left the room. Some have said to me that he stormed from the room, as I say I wasn't present so we're relying on people who were there. This is part of a longer running debate over relations between Nauru and China, given that Nauru has diplomatic relations with Taiwan, rather than China itself.
DON WISEMAN: Yes and Taiwan is playing quite a big role in this forum isn't it, it's paying for a lot of it.
NIC MACLELLAN: Well the actual conference is being held in the Nauru Civic Centre, which is the major building which Taiwan has contributed to. Indeed the republic of China/Taiwan embassy is about 30 metres from the delegates great hall where the delegates are meeting so Taiwan is certainly a key partner. There's been concerns in the days leading up to the forum where the government of Nauru had delayed issuing visas to the Chinese delegation. There's been reports that the outgoing forum chair of the prime minister of Samoa and some other governments made representations to Nauru to grant visas. We spoke to president Waqa about this issue and he said that it was normal practice that Nauru, because it didn't have diplomatic relations with China, would allow people to come on their personal passports rather than on diplomatic passports so that's the case for Nauruans travelling to multi-lateral meetings in China, according to president Waqa it was a reciprocal arrangement. He told us that this issue had been resolved and that visas had been issued however from reports of people who were in the room there was certainly a tense situation and it's highlighted some of the broader picture of Taiwan-China competition in the region.
DON WISEMAN: Of course there's been a lot of talk about China and loans due to China, all around the Pacific and Australia's been bashing this drum for a fair while. Is that in anyway related to this, or is this completely Nauru-Taiwan-China?
NIC MACLELLAN: I think it's part of the bigger picture where Taiwan is seeking to extend its relationship with countries in the Pacific. Last November the new Taiwanese president toured three Pacific countries - Tuvalu, Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands to have diplomatic relations with Taipei rather than Beijing. Taiwan is certainly keen to avoid countries flipping as has happened in the past in the region towards China, with its one China policy. So this diplomatic toing and froing is going on. Dame Meg Taylor, the Secretary-General of the Forum has on the record expressed her frustration with these sorts of issues. She believes that the forum is a place for Pacific Island countries to address Pacific Island concerns. And we've heard at this meeting from most of the island delegations that climate change is the central issue. And I think the China-Taiwan dispute and other disputes on the fringes of the meeting really take the focus off the core agenda that the island countries are promoting - around the oceans, around resource management, fisheries, certainly around climate change and also about ultimately human development and human security.
Mr Maclellan says his effort to speak with the Chinese delegate was unsuccessful.
