The leader of small, but strategically located Kiribati has won a closely watched presidential runoff after campaigning on a pro-China platform, in a setback to Taiwan’s hopes to re-establish ties with a country that ditched it for Beijing last year.
The result, which was confirmed by the High Court, came after a fierce campaign that pitted Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, who is pro-Beijing, against ally-turned-rival Banuera Berina, who is sympathetic to Taiwan.
China has taken an increasingly assertive role in the Pacific, sparking concern in Washington and Canberra, which tend to view the region as their backyard.
Photo: Reuters
Maamau secured another four-year term with 26,053 votes, compared with 17,866 for his rival, results showed, with a high voter turnout. He won the most votes in 16 of the 23 island constituencies.
Opposition spokesman Rimon Rimon said by phone from Kiribati that he expected the government to start approaching opposition lawmakers to form a majority in parliament after loyalties were evenly split going into the vote.
Maamau’s office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions.
The result helps lock in the new diplomatic relationship between Tarawa and Beijing, ending any immediate bid by Taiwan to reclaim a diplomatic ally in the Pacific after it was muscled out of its alliances with Kiribati and Solomon Islands last year.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would keep paying close attention to developments in Kiribati and continue to cooperate with like-minded countries to work for “security, stability, freedom, openness and democratic governance in the Pacific region.”
Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with 15 nations worldwide, four of which are in the Pacific: Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu and Palau.
Former Kiribati president Anote Tong said the government would now need to deliver on its campaign promises.
“The people have been persuaded to back the government based on the lavish promises made during the campaign,” Tong said by phone. “The next challenge will be to deliver on those promises, which will inflate the budget.”
Tong, who retired from politics in 2016, oversaw a shift in Kiribati’s ties from China to Taiwan during his first term in 2003.
Kiribati has a small land mass yet controls large swathes of ocean through its string of coral islands. It is also home to a Chinese space-tracking station mothballed since 2003, though its status is unclear.
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