Kiribati joined the United Nations in 1999 and is now a full member of the Commonwealth, the IMF, and the World Bank. In October 2000, Kiribati hosted the Thirty-First Pacific Islands Forum. Kiribati is a Least Developed Country and rarely pursues interests outside of the region. Kiribati joined the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group by joining the Lomé Convention and the Cotonou Agreement. Kiribati has good relations with most countries and especially close ties to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, which are in the Pacific. Kiribati momentarily suspended its relations with France in 1995 over that country's choice to restore atomic testing in the South Pacific.
In November 2003, Kiribati established diplomatic ties with Taiwan; however, in September 2019, when Kiribati switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing, all ties were severed. The embassy was ordered to leave after Taiwan's foreign minister stated that Kiribati had "unrealistic" expectations from China.