at the annual summit being hosted by Palau, which diplomatically invited Taiwan to attend as an aid partner alongside China and other non-Pacific countries. China's Pacific envoy Qian Bo warned there would be "consequences" for Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's presence, and Chinese officials reportedly urged Pacific leaders and ministers to skip side events involving Taiwan — pressure that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected, telling journalists "This is primarily a gathering of Pacific family... The Pacific Islands Forum determines what happens here, not any other country”, while also dismissing China's warning that tourism-dependent Palau was unsafe, calling it "a paradise." Five of the eighteen forum members are sending lower-ranked ministers this year, though representatives insist this won't affect outcomes as the summit seeks joint action on drug crime and climate change, and Albanese additionally condemned China's July ballistic missile test that landed in the Pacific near Taiwan-ally Tuvalu, declaring "That is not acceptable, it is not the act of a friend." (Bssnews)