New Zealand is likely to send a ministerial representative to the controversial first China-Pacific summit in Fiji next month but it will not be as senior as the Prime Minister or Foreign Minister.
The summit, hosted by China Premier Wen Jiaboa, is one of three planned this year by various leaders as wealthy powers increasingly vie for influence in the region. Japan and France will also hold summits.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is likely to attend those summits on behalf of New Zealand, but not the Fiji one.
If the meeting had been under the the auspices of the Pacific Islands Forum, Mr Peters might have attended.
But the sensitivities between China and Taiwan make that impossible.
Six of the 16 Pacific Islands Forum countries recognise Taiwan: Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, the Solomons, and Tuvalu.
It is understood that any communique or decisions from the meeting will be in the name of only those countries that recognise China.
NZ watches China-Pacific summit
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