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The top diplomatic post in the Pacific islands will be filled next year by the former president of Nauru, which is an ally of Taiwan, the 18-member regional bloc decided today, Reuters reported.

The Forum decided to face climate change and great power rivalry as a united "family".

The Pacific Islands Forum, which meets in Fiji, also said it would negotiate more with Japanese scientists and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over Japan's plan to dump processed water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

Some islands in the region fear the water could harm fish stocks in the sea, but Tokyo says there is no such risk, and ultimately everyone agreed science should guide policy decisions on the issue.

The Cook Islands are taking over as chair of the forum from Fiji, and the forum has elected former Nauruan president Baron Vaca to become the bloc's secretary-general in 2024.

Nauru has diplomatic relations with Taiwan but none with China, and Waka has had spats with Chinese diplomats in the past.

During a press conference, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown was asked a China-related question and said that rebuilding relations with Beijing was important for the highly indebted island nation.

Four of Taiwan's fourteen diplomatic allies are members of the forum.

The leaders agreed to discuss the creation of a US-based ambassador's office, which they pledged to help the region.

Former chairman of the forum, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, told media that solidarity in the forum family has now been fully restored.

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