The Kiribati government has defended the country sending local students to study in China on Chinese government funded scholarships.
Kiribati President, Taneti Maamau Photo: RNZ Pacific / Koro Vaka'uta
Kiribati is a supporter of Taiwan and President Taneti Maamau said the fact about 20 i-Kiribati students were on tertiary scholarships didn't mean the country was switching allegiance.
This came after an opposition MP, England Iuta, asked the prime minister to explain the scholarship arrangements in parliament.
Mr Maamau said Kiribati had been sending students to China for the past seven years, in a scheme managed by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and open to students across the Pacific.
