Sea-level rise, fuel shortages and missile tests top the agenda as Albanese heads to Palau for Pacific talks

Ashley Cooper/Getty Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Palau’s capital Koror this week for the annual Pacific Islands Forum , and regional security is expected to top the agenda.

China is testing nuclear-capable missiles in the Pacific, prompting talk of a new regional agreement.

The United States-Iran war has exposed a reliance on costly fossil fuels that is undermining Pacific economies.

And as the world comes perilously close to the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature goal, a record-breaking El Nino looms in the Pacific Ocean .

But the forum will be missing key leaders – Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale made a shock departure, flying out of Palau just hours after arriving, in order to deal with a looming leadership challenge back home.

And Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, Samoan Prime Minister Laʻauli Leuatea Schmidt, and Vanuatu’s prime minister, Jotham Napat, are also not attending.

It is unclear if Fiji’s prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, will be present.

Pacific nations will want Albanese to address the world’s key security threat – climate change.

As co-president of the COP31 climate talks in November, Australia can work with the Pacific to keep 1.5°C within reach, and secure much-needed finance for island nations at the climate frontline.

China’s missile test Since the second world war, the United States has maintained fortified bases in the Pacific and an unrivalled deep-water navy (the US also regularly tests long-range missiles in the region ).

However, China’s investment in military capabilities has challenged the status quo.

In July, China launched a nuclear-capable test missile that flew over multiple Pacific nations and hit waters close to Tuvalu’s Exclusive Economic Zone .

This sparked calls for a new regional security agreement: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale said China’s missile test was “ not the act of a friend ”.

Ironically, it was Solomons Islands that signed a security deal with China in 2022.