The president of Kiribati is fearful of the continued presence of Chinese officials in the country.
Anote Tong says he fears they may be trying to foment a change of government.
Mr Tong switched diplomatic allegiance from Beijing to Taiwan after coming to power in November last year.
China was then forced to close a satellite-monitoring base on Tarawa.
But, the government is nervous about the presence of three Chinese diplomats - who remain as caretakers of embassy facilities.
Mr Tong says China may have been behind a demonstration staged to protest against Kiribati's decision to sever diplomatic ties with Beijing.