Pacific leaders drop Taiwan from communique following China's complaint

The Pacific Islands Forum removed references to Taiwan from a group communique after complaints from China - a change Taipei condemned as a "rude intervention" but which a forum official said did not alter the leaders' decisions.

The communique released on Friday from the 18-nation summit included a section headed "Relations with Taiwan/Republic of China", stating "Leaders reaffirmed the 1992 Leaders decision on relations with Taiwan/Republic of China".

After the Taiwan references were removed, Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday: "Taiwan condemns China's rude and unreasonable intervention and irrational behaviour that undermines regional peace and stability and calls on all like-minded countries to pay close attention to China's actions."

The ministry said, however, that the revised communique did not undermine Taiwan's status at the forum nor preclude it from participating in the future.

A spokesperson for the Pacific Islands Forum secretariat said on Sunday the communique is a "consensus-based document", reflecting the agreed decisions and views of all members.

"The version as finalised does not change nor impact the decisions of the meeting, nor any standing decisions of the forum leaders," she said in a statement.

A development partner to the forum since 1993, Taiwan sent Tien Chung-kwang, its deputy foreign minister to Tonga, to meet its three Pacific allies, Palau, Tuvalu and Marshall Islands.