Tuvalu leader says loyalty and democracy to Taiwan

The new prime minister of the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu said on Friday that the country shared democratic values ​​with Taiwan and reiterated that his government would maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei and ruled out a switch to Beijing.

Prime Minister Feleti Chang spoke to The Associated Press via Zoom, his first interview with international media since the government took office earlier this week.

“Our relationship with Taiwan is purely based on democratic principles and they are very loyal to us,” Zhang said.

Teo, 61, and his eight cabinet ministers were sworn in on Wednesday, a month before the strategically important country of 11,500 people between Australia and Hawaii held an election.

Campaign issues include whether Tuvalu should switch its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing. An elected candidate has proposed scrapping a yet-to-be-ratified treaty that would give Australia a veto over any security-related deals Tuvalu wishes to make with any other country, including China.

The new government announced that it would maintain diplomatic relations with self-ruled Taiwan. China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since it was divided by civil war in 1949.

“We don’t see any reason to invest time in discussing and participating in discussions between the two countries,” he said, referring to the counter-policy of the “one-China” principle, in which China believes it has rights over the mainland and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. sovereignty.

Former government finance minister Seve Paeniu, considered a leadership contender in the election, has advocated for a review of Tuvalu’s ties with Taiwan and Beijing. Paeniu was excluded from Teo Chee Hean’s cabinet.

Tuvalu’s 16-member Parliament has no political parties, so the Prime Minister must have the support of at least eight independent MPs to gain a majority.

China’s Foreign Ministry urged Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to “stand on the right side of history and make correct decisions that truly serve their own long-term interests” and switch allegiances to Beijing after Teo was elected prime minister by 10 lawmakers on Monday.

When the small atoll nation of Nauru switched its alliance with Beijing in January, Tuvalu became one of only three Pacific island nations to ally with Taiwan.

Te’o, a long-time Tuvalu civil servant and regional bureaucrat, said the issue of changing allegiances was “absolutely not” an issue for the people of Tuvalu.

Teo has said he hopes to renegotiate a development aid deal with Taiwan, saying the effects of climate change and rising sea levels remain top priorities for the low-lying atoll nation.

Former Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a treaty with Australia in November providing Tuvaluans with opportunities to resettle in Australia options to escape rising sea levels and worsening storms.

Australia will initially allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to immigrate each year. The treaty will also commit Australia to help Tuvalu respond to major natural disasters, epidemics and military aggression.

But Te’o wants Australia to abandon a clause that the two countries must “mutually agree” on any third-country security deal Tuvalu may seek.

Teo said he was involved in drafting the treaty as Tuvalu’s legal adviser and his original intention was simply to make Australia aware of such third-party agreements.

Teo would not speculate on whether Australia wanted a veto to avoid a repeat of China’s 2022 security agreement with the Solomon Islands, which raised the possibility of a Chinese naval foothold in the South Pacific.

Teo said that while his government “certainly supports the broad principles and objectives of the treaty”, there was still a long way to go. He believed the treaty would become acceptable if Australia abandoned the terms of mutual agreement.

“We need to revisit that provision,” Te’o said. “The general view in Tuvalu is that this could infringe on Tuvalu’s sovereignty.”

The office of Australian Foreign Minister Wong Yin-hyun did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the possibility of further negotiations.