Days after China's missile test, Kyle Vander-Kuyp's unexpected dance moves in Glasgow were the latest instalment of regional Pacific diplomacy.
Australia hosted a Celebration of Oceania event on Thursday morning (Thursday evening AEST), hours before the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
The first session was a fun cultural exchange, where the Oceania nations were invited on stage to share dances, songs and stories.
But there was not so much an elephant in the room, as a panda or dragon - China's influence in the Pacific region.
The Glasgow gathering was very much about sport diplomacy.
Australia's high commissioner to the UK, Jay Weatherill, was the host and Governor-General Sam Mostyn also spoke.
"In an uncertain world, sport has the power to unite like nothing else. We've invested heavily in the region, because we're serious about creating this shared identity," Weatherill told AAP.
"We are worried about the state of the world. We think it's really important that we come together and celebrate the peace and prosperity that we hope to bring to Oceania.
"The Games are a perfect metaphor for that. They're about competition, but they're about peaceful competition and they're about friendliness."
Weatherill was then asked specifically about the issue of China in the Oceania region.
"We're very interested in making sure that Oceania remains peaceful. Joining together with other peace-loving nations and celebrating our shared values and our shared love of sport sends a really important message," he replied.
Earlier this month, a Chinese submarine test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a dummy warhead into the South Pacific.
Vander-Kuyp presented for Australia on Thursday and he spoke movingly of his Indigenous background.
Adopted at five weeks of age, sport became a massive driver in his life and he became a star hurdler at the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.
"I definitely don't have a dance, I definitely don't have a song, but I've got a story," said Vander-Kuyp, now an official with the Australian team.
That proved a big mistake.
The Cook Islands delegation clearly took note and dragged him up on stage for their dance performance.
Weatherill admitted to nerves that he might have been next.
"I would have pulled a hamstring if I'd tried to replicate the swivelling of the hips that was on display," he said.
Weatherill and Mostyn joined members of the Australian team on stage to gather around the unity mat that is now a feature of the national team at the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.
The mat, which features an Indigenous design, is used to welcome team members when they arrive for the events.
"My piece today is really about a circle ... everyone connects around a circle," Vander-Kuyp said.
Commonwealth Games Australia chief executive Craig Phillips reminded the audience of Nelson Mandela's quote that sport can change the world.
Mostyn said climate change was also a crucial issue for the region, while urging the different countries to make the most of the Games.
"We will be fierce competitors outside this room, but great friends with a great deal of warmth inside this room," she said.
