Pacific Islands Forum

Proposed by Xi Jinping the development strategy focuses on connectivity and cooperation between China and countries primarily in Europe and Asia.

It has two components a land based "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "Maritime Silk Road".

RNZ reports the Forum was set up in 1971 to counter the influence of the major colonial powers, but with French Polynesia and New Caledonia added at this year's summit, France has effectively become a member of the body.

This raises questions about whether other territories in the region, such as Tokelau, American Samoa or Guam should now be included.

The director of the Pasifika Centre at Massey University, Malakai Koloamatangi, said the move had opened a lot of avenues that had seemed closed in the past.

RNZ reports for years Papuans have claimed they have been denied basic rights, particularly self-determination, and are constantly subject to Indonesian state oppression.

Demographic change in the region has also left Papuans fast becoming a minority, dominated by Indonesian culture, and has added urgency to the latest call by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) for help from the Pacific Islands Forum.

'The New Pacific Diplomacy', published by the Australian National University, has contributions from a range of academics, journalists, political leaders and other stakeholders.

An editor, Associate Professor Sandra Tarte says the Pacific Islands Forum will have to adapt, and Australia and New Zealand may have to tone down their influence.

It will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month.

The UN meeting will be held on September 25-27 in New York to formally adopt an ambitious new sustainable development agenda.

This momentous agenda will serve as the launch pad for action by the international community and by national governments to promote shared prosperity and well-being for the next 15 years.

'Akilisi Pohiva attended his first Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Port Moresby last week.

Mr Pohiva says it was a good chance to observe regionalism at work.

However he says greater cooperation is also needed when it comes to the airways of the Pacific.

The communique was issued more than 12 hours after the end of Thursday's leaders' retreat.

The issue of the fisheries was the big winner from the leader's summit, while an acceptance of varying viewpoints marks the statement on climate change.

Koro Vaka'uta reports:

The comment from Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, comes after his fellow Pacific Islands Forum leaders failed to reach a unified position on the issue.

Most countries had wanted to push for a temperature increase over pre-industrial levels of less than 1.5 degrees celsius at the COP21 meeting in Paris.

But this was opposed by New Zealand and Australia and the Forum concluded with a weaker 'agree to disagree' position.

Fisheries ministers from around the region have been invited to New Zealand to check out its quota management system which New Zealand has been pushing at the Pacific Islands Forum.

New Zealand's prime minister John Key says Pacific island countries agree their fisheries are going to be challenged if they stay on the present system of limiting fish takes via the daily scheme.

The 46th meeting of Pacific Island Forum leaders meeting ended with an agreement to disagree on the contentious issue of climate change and a change in approach to fisheries management.

Climate change in particular dominated the week's discussions between the 16 member countries gathered in Papua New Guinea's capital Port Moresby.

Early on in the summit, conflicting views emerged as small island states like Kiribati and Palau reiterated their calls for greater action from the more developed nations like New Zealand and Australia on climate change.