New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern plans to attend the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Fiji this week, just days after the head of state called for more regional co-operation to counter China and amid reports one island member has withdrawn on the conference’s eve.
Ardern will go to Fiji from Tuesday to Thursday where she plans to make announcements on climate and aid projects, her office said in a statement. News of her trip follows a 1News New Zealand report Sunday that Kiribati President Taneti Maamau had given notice his country would leave the forum after being sidelined on a number of issues.
