BEN MCKAY
The Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit is underway, understrength, with a third of leaders likely to missing, and concerns about regional splintering.
However, Australian and New Zealand officials are downplaying the impact of the pullouts, some of which they privately blame on Chinese pressure.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in Palau on Monday to lead Australia’s delegation at the annual PIF leaders meeting.
For various reasons – domestic politics, poor health, and unspoken defiance – six leaders are missing.
Leaders from Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu are not attending.
Amid rumours and reports he would also not attend, the usually-secretive Nauru President David Adeang confirmed he planned to travel.
Another, New Zealand’s Chris Luxon, is making a last-minute dash, arriving just for one full day.
The absence of Fiji’s grand statesman Sitiveni Rabuka is a blow, given his central role in the Ocean of Peace alliance.
From a regional stability standpoint, the most concerning absences are Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.
While other countries will be represented by deputy leaders or foreign ministers, Kiribati President Taneti Maamau is effectively snubbing the summit by sending a senior public servant and former ambassador to China.
That decision has raised eyebrows, if not alarm bells in Canberra given last week the Micronesian nation began the process of embedding ties to Beijing in its constitution.
Mr Maamau blamed a difficult transit and a clash with parliament for not attending.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale was left red-faced after landing in Koror, only to quickly rush home.
Mr Wale was one of a string of leaders taking advantage of New Zealand’s offer to facilitate their travel on a defence force flight from Auckland and Brisbane on Saturday.
However, the recently installed prime minister left early on Sunday when one of his cabinet ministers moved a motion of no confidence in his leadership.