Taiwan is working the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Palau to shore up its shrinking group of allies, but five member leaders skipping the meeting points to how divided the region has become over China.

• The 55th Pacific Islands Forum summit opened in Palau, one of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic partners, with Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung leading Taiwan's delegation.
• Lin arrived days early to tour Taiwan-Palau projects and appeared alongside the US, Japanese and Australian envoys — a signal of who is lining up where in the Pacific.
• Five leaders, including the prime ministers of Fiji and Solomon Islands and the president of Kiribati, are sending ministers instead of showing up in person.
• The Solomon Islands leader flew home to fight off a no-confidence push; Kiribati cited parliament and thin flight connections.
• The bloc already failed to agree on a joint statement condemning a recent Chinese test of a submarine-launched nuclear-capable missile, and Palau's president is pushing the group to speak up anyway.

Outlook: Taiwan will keep leaning on its three Pacific allies, but the absences suggest China's pull in the region is still growing and the forum will struggle to speak with one voice.