The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Taiwan's will continue to support the
Pacific Islands Forum regional bloc.

This comes despite the group's recent decision to exclude Taiwan and other
donor countries from its annual meeting.

Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei has said that although Taiwan would not be
joining this year's event, the government will continue its close cooperation
with the forum as a whole... as well as with its diplomatic allies.

Hsiao pointed out that the government has existing cooperation projects which
provide financial assistance to support regional development... it also
offers scholarships, which are open to all Pacific Islands Forum members.

Delegates at the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting in Fiji
earlier this month decided to uphold the Solomon Islands' decision to exclude
donor countries from the region's top political meeting next month.

The foreign ministry at the time said that it accepted the decision despite
finding it regrettable.

Taiwan has been a partner country in Pacific Islands Forum mechanisms since
1993.