‘At their beck and call’: China tightens grip as Pacific leaders snub summit

News24 Defence Analyst Peter Jennings warns Beijing is exploiting divisions in the Pacific to isolate Taiwan as Pacific Island leaders stay away from the summit. “They have a number one agenda in the Pacific, and that is to push Taiwan out of it,” Mr Jennings told News24 host James Macpherson. “Albanese claims that we’re doing a tremendous job of working to help keep China’s influence reduced and yet, as we can see at their beck and call, a whole bunch of Pacific Island leaders just won’t come to the meeting.”