Foreign relations of Kiribati

Kiribati and Armenia established diplomatic relations on 26 September 2018.[2]

• Australia has a high commission in Tarawa.[3]
• Kiribati has an honorary consulate in Burradoo, New South Wales.

Kiribati and Brazil established diplomatic relations on 21 September 2010.[4]

Kiribati President Taneti Mamau and Republic of China President Tsai Ing-wen in May 2016.

Kiribati firstly established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1980. At that time, Kiribati had been the home to a satellite tracking base for PRC space program from 1997 until 2003.[5] On 7 November 2003, Kiribati established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC). Although it did not sever ties with the PRC, expressing the intention to continue relations, Beijing suspended ties on 29 November after failed attempts to lobby President Anote Tong to change his mind.

On 9 January 2004, the ROC opened its embassy in Kiribati.[6] On 31 May 2013, Kiribati opened its embassy in Taipei. This was the first ever Kiribati embassy outside of Oceania. Teekoa Iuta became Kiribati's first ambassador to the country.[7] On 20 September 2019, Kiribati switched diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China, effectively cutting all relations to Taiwan.[8] Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Beijing had used "dollar diplomacy" to influence the Kiribati government.[9]

In the late 2000s, Kiribati began to strengthen its relations with Cuba. Cuba provides medical aid to Kiribati. There are currently sixteen doctors providing specialised medical care in Kiribati, with sixteen more scheduled to join them.[10] Cuban doctors have reportedly provided a dramatic improvement to the field of medical care in Kiribati, reducing the child mortality rate in that country by 80%[11] As of September 2008, over twenty I-Kiribati medical students are studying in Cuba, at Cuba's expense.[12][13]

In September 2008, President Anote Tong attended the first Cuba-Pacific Islands ministerial meeting in Havana. By meeting President Raúl Castro to discuss "mutual friendship and cooperation", he became the first Pacific leader to pay a state visit to Cuba.[12] The two countries signed an agreement on increased cooperation in the field of health.[14]

Kiribati and Estonia established diplomatic relations on 4 September 2014.[15]

• Kiribati has a high commission in Suva.

Kiribati and Finland established diplomatic relations on 25 March 2011.[16]

The two countries maintain official diplomatic relations, but no diplomatic presence on each other's territory; the French embassy in Suva is accredited to Kiribati.[17]

In 1995, Kiribati briefly suspended its diplomatic relations with France in protest against French nuclear tests at Mururoa in French Polynesia.[18]

German shipping companies opened a trade school for seamen in 1967. It exists until today. About I-Kiribati 5,000 seaman work for German shipping companies today.[19]

• Kiribati has an honorary consul in Hamburg.
• Germany has no embassy in Tarawa. The German embassy in Wellington is accredited for Kiribati.

• Georgia is accredited to Kiribati from its embassy in Canberra, Australia.

Kiribati and Hungary established diplomatic relations on 17 June 2016.[20]

Diplomatic relations between Kiribati and India were established on 6 August 1985.[21] At the Post Forum Dialogue partner meeting in 2006, India announced that it would provide a grant-in-aid of US$100,000 annually to each of the 14 Pacific Island countries, including Kiribati.[22] This was increased to US$125,000 from 2009.[23]

• Kiribati does not have an accreditation to Mexico.
• Mexico is accredited to Kiribati from its embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[24]

• Kiribati has an honorary consulate in Wellington.
• New Zealand has a high commission in Tarawa.[25]

The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Kiribati and The Republic of Korea (South Korea) began on 2 May 1980.[26]

• Turkish ambassador in Canberra to Australia is also accredited to Kiribati.[27]
• Trade volume between the two countries was negligible in 2019.[27]

Britain has long-standing historic links with Kiribati. The first British visitor to Kiribati was reputed to be Commodore John Byron in 1765, the immediate predecessor of James Cook's more famous explorations of the Pacific between 1769–1779. With the growth of the British settlement in Australia's New South Wales, whaling became a key element of the regional economy, and up to the 1870s British whalers were regular visitors to the waters surrounding Kiribati. Through its network of sovereign posts in the region (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia), the UK maintains bilateral programmes with Kiribati sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for Environment and Department for International Development and other government departments. The UK Government's engagement in Kiribati is largely delivered through the Commonwealth, the European Union and The Asian Development Bank.

Following its independence in 1979, Kiribati signed a treaty of friendship with the United States.[28] The United States Department of State characterizes U.S.–Kiribati relations as "excellent", as of 2009.[28] Diplomatic relations are conducted by the I-Kiribati Ambassador to the United States. Although the U.S. does not maintain a diplomatic office or consulate in Kiribati, staff from the American embassy in Suva, Fiji make frequent visits to Kiribati.[28] The U.S. provides economic development assistance through multilateral institutions.[28] From 1967 to 2008, the United States Peace Corps operated in Kiribati.[28]