Page 6 - IB September 2018 Edition

We Say

When a group of Pacific journalists (including the editor of this magazine) were detained

at Jackson International Airport as they arrived for the 46th Pacific Islands Forum that

Papua New Guinea was hosting in 2015 because they did not have a journalist visa
on their passports, a call was made for the Forum Secretariat to work on a template

that features minimum standard requirements all interested hosts of the Forum must

agree to and abide by.

the host of the Forum and President of Nauru,
Baron Waqa to convey Beijing’s displeasure
at the way their delegation had been treated.
Samoa’s Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Neioti Aiono
Sailele Malielegao also weighted into the
disputation by sending off a strongly-worded
letter to Waqa and threatening to call off the
summit if the Chinese delegation were not
accorded the same courtesies as the rest of
them. This letter was dispatched a day or two
before the actual Forum proper began, so he
was still the Forum chair.
Papua New Guinea on the other hand voted
with its feet so to speak. The treatment of the
Chinese delegation was given as one of the
reasons Prime Minister Peter O’Neil opted
to – like Fiji’s Bainimarama – give this year’s
Forum a miss, sending instead his foreign
minister Rimbink Pato.
But all these theatrics, if we can call it that,
are in our view unnecessary and avoidable.
You cannot really blame China if you start
shifting the proverbial goal post midway
Pacific Leaders at their 49th Forum in Nauru. Photo: PIFS Media through the game, or actually a few days
before leaders were due to arrive in Nauru
THE controversy surrounding the ejection of China’s head of for their annual conclave. You do not issue guests with their
delegation from a meeting between Pacific leaders and donor entry visa only to inform them a few weeks later that the is-
partners at the 49th Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru was un- suance was a mistake and that it would be withdrawn, which
fortunate as much as it was avertable. practically meant that all members of the Chinese delegation
Of course in saying that, we are not attempting to condone to the 49th Forum had to travel without
the seemingly unruly and disrespectful behaviour of the Chi- Forum host their diplomatic passports and would
nese diplomat when he reportedly hijacked the discussions template be treated like any ordinary visitor to
at the Forum Dialogue to complain bitterly about the way his Nauru, stripped of all the VIP courtesies
delegation had been treated by the host country. His so called and privileges.
crime was that he spoke when it was not his turn to speak, You also do not change the speaking rules at the eleventh
and some say, refused to stop his inter- hour by telling China that they are not entitled to address the
Chinese allies in the vention when told to do so by the chair. meeting because their delegation head is not a cabinet minister
Forum Yes there were other ways and av- and accordingly, non-ministers ouught to submit their pre-
enues the disgruntled delegate could sentations to the chair and are not entitled to address leaders.
have followed to raise his grievances. One does not fly thousands of kilometres from Beijing to
Yes he could have personally raised his government’s concerns the tiny island in the Pacific Ocean only to be told that they
directly with the Forum chair or with the secretary general have been stripped of their VIP status and would not be able
of the Forum, without the need to be dramatic about it by to address the meeting! It is no wonder the head of delegation
shouting and stormed around the conference hall before for China was exasperated if not bitterly annoyed.
making his exit. No one needs to be Enstein to guess the reasons behind this
Or he could have got his key allies in the Pacific, and there poor treatment. Nauru, as host of this year’s Forum recognises
are quite a few of them, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa to not China but Taiwan. The auditorium in which the leaders
name but three, to address this matter swiftly and amicably. were meeting in Nauru was built by Taiwan. In fact the Boeing
In fact the latter did take place, according to people close 737-200 jets that flew in many of the Forum delegates were
to the matter under discussion. Fiji’s Frank Bainimarama also donated by Taiwan.
telephoned (as he was in Fiji and did not attend the summit) Be that at it may, no government delegation ought to be

6 Islands Business, September 2018