Pacific Islands Forum condemns China missile test, urges advance notice

Pacific Islands Forum leaders condemned China's July intercontinental ballistic missile test, urging all states to provide at least 24 hours' advance notice before such launches. Nauru dissented from the joint statement issued Thursday in Palau. The forum's statement noted the missile test "overflew" several members without adequate warning, calling for transparency and reassurance. China's foreign ministry accused Palau of "ill-intentioned" attempts to hijack the forum's position, while New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said pushback was needed to avoid normalizing such behavior. The forum also agreed to split its 30 partners into two tiers next year and adopted a declaration for urgent climate action to keep 1.5 degrees warming within reach. Taiwan's foreign minister attended this year but likely won't be invited next year due to New Zealand's One China policy.