Taiwan foreign minister to attend Pacific islands leaders summit events

TAIPEI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan Foreign ‌Minister Lin Chia-lung ​will ​attend events related to a major summit of leaders from Pacific islands nations in Palau starting next week, his office said on ‌Wednesday, though China said he had no right to take part.

China's ⁠test-firing in July of a missile into the Pacific alarmed regional powers but failed to spur ‌a unified response from Pacific ‌Island governments, underscoring divisions over how to confront growing strategic competition in the region.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has gradually ​whittled away the number of Pacific island countries with formal ties to Taipei, with only three remaining - Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands.

Taiwan's foreign ministry ⁠said that Lin would leave for Palau on Thursday and be there for a week, taking part in ​side events to the summit, including a Pacific Islands Forum dialogue meeting hosted by the forum's secretariat, and the Pacific Prosperity ​Exhibit.

Lin will also meet Taiwan's Pacific diplomatic allies ‌and "other friendly nations to exchange views on deepening the partnership between Taiwan and Pacific island nations, as well as jointly maintaining ⁠peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region," the ministry said in a statement.

China says Taiwan is one of its provinces, not a country.

Beijing's foreign ministry said Taipei had "no ⁠qualifications" to take part in the forum, which is being held from Sunday until September 4.

"The ​Taiwan authorities sending Lin Chia-lung and other Taiwan independence separatists scurrying about all over to curry favour is a futile attempt to grab attention," it said in a statement sent ‌to Reuters.

The forum's Fiji-based secretariat did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Chinese comments.

China has expanded ‌its influence in the Pacific in recent years through infrastructure financing, diplomatic outreach and ⁠security cooperation, which has prompted concern ‌among traditional partners including ​Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in Beijingl Editing by Lincoln Feast and ‌Chizu Nomiyama )

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