Tuvalu PM Feleti Teo ‘rock solid with Taiwan’

Taiwan’s ambassador to Tuvalu says he has won assurances that ties were ‘rock solid’, scotching rumours the Pacific island nation could flip alliances to Beijing.

Feleti Teo has been elected unopposed as Tuvalu's new Prime Minister.

Taiwan’s ambassador to Tuvalu says he has won assurances from the country’s new Prime Minister that ties were “rock solid, durable and everlasting”, scotching rumours the Pacific island nation could flip alliances to Beijing.

“I was invited to attend a lunch with all the MPs and the newly elected PM. I had conversations with all of them and had assurances from all of them,” ambassador Andrew Lin said after a ceremony on Monday that named Feleti Teo as the new Prime Minister.

Mr Teo was formally selected by MPs on Monday, nearly a month after elections in which the issue of relations with Taiwan came to the fore.

During the campaign, then fin­ance minster Seve Paeniu floated the idea of Tuvalu’s new government reviewing its Taiwan ties.

Tuvalu is one of just 12 states that still formally recognise Taiwan, but Mr Lin said he had been assured by the new government that the relationship was solid.

“Before the election, a lot of rumours spread, a kind of disinformation,” the ambassador said.

“Maybe China was behind the scenes saying that after the election, Tuvalu will follow suit with Nauru for a switch.”

Neighbouring Nauru recently severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China, feeding rumours Tuvalu could follow.

Mr Lin described his relationship with Mr Teo as being “very good friends and close to each other”.

Despite the assurances, ­Pacific observers will be watching to see whether Mr Teo calls for a policy rethink. His elevation to Prime Minister comes after predecessor Kausea Nat­ano, who had backed long-standing relations with Taipei, lost his seat in general elections.

Beijing has already poached some of Taiwan’s Pacific allies, convincing Solomon Islands and Kiribati to switch recognition in 2019 before Nauru did the same.

Mr Teo is the first Tuvaluan prime minister to be nominated unopposed, according to MP Simon Kofe. He will be inaugurated with his cabinet ministers later this week.

The selection had been ­delayed by persistent bad weather that left several MPs stranded on the nation’s outer islands and unable to reach the capital.

Jess Marinaccio, an assistant professor in Pacific Studies at California State University, said was too early to say whether Mr Teo, who had held a senior ­regional fisheries role until ­recently, would maintain ties with Taiwan.

“I don’t think anybody knows because he hasn’t been in government for a long time,” Professor Marinaccio said.

“Attorney-general was the last position he had before he started working internationally.

“The positions he has worked in were ones where he had to deal with countries which did and didn’t have relations with Taiwan, so he has probably had to be fairly even about that. He couldn’t express an opinion, so we don’t have an idea whether he leans one way or the other.”

Professor Marinaccio said international relations would be high on the list of issues for Mr Teo’s new government.

AFP