When the Pacific way is silence: Tuvalu, consensus and courage

A nuclear-capable Chinese ballistic missile, launched from a nuclear-powered submarine in July 2026, arced over several Pacific nations and landed without warning in waters close to Tuvalu’s exclusive economic zone. Tuvalu’s government called the incident a “grave and serious concern”, and Pacific civil society groups urged leaders to reject militarisation. Yet at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) foreign ministers’ meeting in Suva, the region could not agree on a joint statement.