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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Daniel Hurst in Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Pacific Islands Forum communique taken down after Chinese envoy calls Taiwan reference ‘unacceptable’

Pacific Island Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa, second from left, addresses the plenary session at the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Changes were made to the final communique that originally appeared on the website of the Pacific Islands Forum. Photograph: Lukas Coch/EPA

A summit of Pacific leaders has ended in drama after China’s regional envoy demanded the scrapping of language about Taiwan, with the communique later republished without the offending paragraph.

The Pacific Islands Forum (Pif) summit in Tonga this week brought together Australia, New Zealand and 16 Pacific island countries or territories, only three of which still have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

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