Taiwan Faces Chinese Pressure in Pacific Islands

China’s pressure campaign against Taiwan doesn’t end when a country switches recognition to Beijing. It is a systematic effort to shrink Taiwan's international space, often employing a combination of economic incentives and political maneuvering, particularly evident in the Pacific Islands. The closure of Taiwan’s trade office in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in July serves as a tangible recent case. PNG’s Trade and Investment Minister, Richard Maru, publicly tied Chinese economic benefits to this move, attributing a recently signed economic framework agreement partly to the closure of PNG’s trade office in Taipei. Following the closure, a PetroChina delegation arrived in Port Moresby with offers to buy more PNG gas, illustrating how China leverages economic opportunities in exchange for geopolitical alignment. China amplifies these developments across the Pacific. Its embassies uniformly feature such closures on social media. In the Federated States of Micronesia and Fiji, China’s heads of mission published opinion pieces in local media about the importance of adhering to Beijing’s version of the One China principle, with the PNG move as a highlight. Wang Yuan, China’s chargé d’affaires in Fiji, used his editorial to remind his hosts of the next steps to align with China’s One China principle, commending Fiji for closing its trade office in Taiwan in 2017 and revoking diplomatic privileges for Taiwan’s office in Suva in 2019. This served as a subtle yet clear indication of Beijing’s desired outcome. Beyond government officials, China also engages with political parties to secure institutional backing. In July 2026, a delegation from Fiji’s People’s Alliance Party met with the International Liaison Department (ILD), securing institutional support for the One China principle. Later that month, an ILD delegation met with parties across the Solomon Islands political spectrum. Other governments in the region have also taken steps to shore up their support for Beijing’s One China principle. In May 2026, Nauru’s Cabinet issued a directive to all government and state-owned enterprise employees to firmly adhere to the One China principle and ensure consistency in official practices and communications, proscribing all official engagements with what it calls “Taiwan Province.” In Kiribati, President Taneti Maamau has argued for a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit diplomatic relations to only U.N. member countries. This bill, in effect, would prevent Kiribati from re-establishing ties with Taiwan, regardless of whether the amendment passes, it aims to bind future officials to Beijing’s preferences. These cases demonstrate that Beijing’s work to shrink Taiwan’s international space does not end with recognition. After a country first gives its support for Beijing’s One China principle, China continues to expect increasing adherence, utilizing a combination of economic rewards and political influence to achieve its objectives. Information source: The Diplomat Indonesia