Pacific leaders have failed to agree on a shared statement condemning China's firing of a missile into Pacific waters last month. Two countries — Kiribati and Nauru — blocked the move at a meeting in Suva. RNZ

The Pacific Islands Forum is a group of 18 Pacific nations that works by consensus — every country has to say yes before the group can take a position. Think of it like a jury that has to be unanimous. When two members refused to back the statement, the whole group could not put one out.

Foreign ministers met in Suva, Fiji, to set the agenda for a leaders' summit happening in Palau later this month. On 7 August they were expected to debate whether to issue a joint statement about China's July missile launch. PINA

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said some Pacific nations were putting the wishes of outside countries ahead of the Forum's own interests. He called that an "unusual view." Peters also noted that the United States regularly tests missiles into the Marshall Islands — but those tests happen with the Marshall Islands' permission. RNZ

A Forum report published in March, the 2026 Pacific Security Outlook Report, records that China test-fired a long-range missile into the Pacific. The same report covers defence briefings about a Chinese navy fleet whose destination was unknown at the time. Forum Secretariat An earlier report, Pacific Security 2025, says China's missile test worried countries across the Pacific and that cyber attacks remain an ongoing concern for the region. Forum Secretariat

Solomon Islands, though, took a different approach. On 7 July it promised to strengthen ties with Australia and criticised China's missile test from a submarine. Reuters At the same Suva meeting, Solomon Islands also proposed a new regional security treaty that would bring existing security agreements under one umbrella. The country's top foreign affairs official, George Hoa'au, said the current agreements are not legally binding, and a single treaty would fix that. RNZ

China's foreign ministry said in July it has no geopolitical intentions and is not seeking a "sphere of influence" — meaning it is not trying to dominate the Pacific region. Reuters On 5 August, China complained to Japan about its new defence white paper, accusing Japan of exaggerating the China threat. Reuters

The broader picture here is that the Forum's need for everyone to agree is running up against the fact that its member countries are pulling in different directions on security. Kiribati and Nauru refused to condemn China's missile test, while Solomon Islands criticised the very same test when talking with Australia. That kind of split — where countries say one thing on their own and another as a group — is not new, but the missile test has made it harder to ignore. Peters put it plainly: some members are choosing outside partners over Forum unity. His comparison with US testing in the Marshall Islands also raises a fair question about which missile tests get condemned and which do not.

The leaders' summit in Palau later this month will be the next chance to see whether members can find common ground on these security questions.