China influenced Kiribati exit from Pacific Islands Forum, MP claims

Kiribati’s president, Taneti Maamau, right, meets Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in May. Kiribati’s opposition leader says Chinese influence led to the nation withdrawing from PIF. Photograph: AP

Kiribati’s decision to withdraw from the Pacific Islands Forum on the eve of the event was an extreme move driven by pressure from China, the Micronesian nation’s opposition leader says.

Tessie Lambourne, a former top diplomat who was elected to Kiribati’s parliament in 2020, said she was “shocked and extremely disappointed” by the government’s move to withdraw from the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).