The new government is committed to maintaining a “special” relationship with Taiwan, ending speculation that it could shift diplomatic recognition to China.
Tuvalu's new government has committed to continued diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than shifting to China, and said it plans to review a defense and migration agreement reached with Australia.
Prime Minister Feleti Teo and his seven ministers, who won office after last month's general election, made the commitments in a statement of priorities after being sworn in on Wednesday.
“The new government wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the long-term and enduring special relationship between Tuvalu and the Republic of China, Taiwan,” the statement said.
“He intends to re-evaluate options that would strengthen and elevate him to a more lasting and mutually beneficial relationship.”
Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation of about 11,200 people, is one of 12 countries that have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that China claims as its own territory.
The China-Taiwan issue came to a head during Tuvalu's election campaign when a senior lawmaker floated the idea that the country's new government could review its ties with Taipei.
In Beijing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning urged Tuvalu to switch diplomatic recognition to China.
“We call on a handful of countries that still maintain the so-called relationship with the Taiwan region to stay on the right side of history and make the right decision that truly serves their long-term interests,” he said.
Tuvalu's neighbor Nauru cut ties with Taiwan last month and defected to China, which had promised the country more development aid.
Teo's government, in its priority statement, also pledged to review a landmark pact signed with Canberra in November that offered Tuvaluan citizens a climate refuge in Australia. The treaty has not yet been ratified.
The new government said it supports the “general principles and objectives” of the bilateral security pact, but acknowledged an “absence of transparency and consultation” behind the treaty.
He said he wants to renegotiate the agreement with a focus on “safeguarding the integrity of Tuvalu's sovereignty.”
Tuvalu's low-lying atolls make it particularly vulnerable to global warming.
Two of the country's nine coral islands have already largely disappeared beneath the waves, and climate scientists fear the entire archipelago will be uninhabitable within the next 80 years.
In the treaty, Australia offered Tuvaluans a lifeline to help residents escape rising sea levels and storms caused by climate change.
Initially, Australia would allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to come to Australia each year.
The treaty also commits Australia to assist Tuvalu in response to major natural disasters, pandemics and military aggression.
In exchange, Australia would gain controversial veto power seen as an attempt to prevent a Chinese military presence in Tuvalu.
A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said Canberra “is willing to engage with Prime Minister Teo and his government on the priorities they have outlined.”
The United States and Australia, its influential ally in the region, have been rapidly building bridges with Pacific island nations in response to China's signing of a security pact with the Solomon Islands in 2022 that raised prospects for a Chinese naval base in the South. Peaceful.
