Pacific ministers to debate China missile statement

Peters described the potential lack of a unified regional response to the missile test as a "missed opportunity" but stated it was not too late for the forum to act. He acknowledged that divisions could prevent agreement, noting that some countries might have already settled positions from which they would not move.

China's test-firing of a missile into the Pacific in July had alarmed regional powers but did not initially result in a unified response from Pacific Island governments. This underscored existing divisions over how to navigate the growing strategic competition in the region.

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Rick Houenipwela, who chairs the forum, stated that the Pacific's agenda must be "conceived by the Pacific, shaped by the Pacific and only by the Pacific." He also emphasized that challenges confronting the region are increasingly interconnected and that responses should foster regional solidarity rather than division.

Ministers may also discuss the forum's engagement with external dialogue partners, energy security, and potential changes to the grouping's future institutional arrangements. Last year, Pacific leaders backed an "Ocean of Peace" declaration, calling for the region to remain peaceful amid intensifying strategic competition.