U.S. soldiers carry out construction work on a former Japanese military airfield on Peleliu Island, in February 2025. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
SOPHIE MAK
September 30, 2026 14:30 JST
KOROR, Palau — Palauans are caught “between a rock and a hard place,” as citizens of the tiny Pacific island nation say they are being pulled into a geopolitical power game between the United States and China that also threatens their environment.


