Culture, democracy and clout: why three Pacific countries are sticking with Taiwan

Funafuti in Tuvalu, one of Taiwan’s three allies in the Pacific. Photograph: Kalolaine Fainu/The Guardian

As a king tide swept through Tuvalu this month, flooding homes and disrupting local sea routes, changes in political currents were also buffeting the country.

The wild weather delayed a key meeting between newly elected members of parliament to determine the successor to Tuvalu’s prime minister Kausea Natano, who lost his seat in January’s elections.