The leader of the world’s fourth-smallest country has told China that recognizing Taiwan is “our choice, not yours,” after Beijing threatened it with “consequences” for promoting the island’s independence.
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr visited Australia last week to visit the country’s newly opened embassy in Canberra, a side-effect of the Albanese government’s attempts to deepen ties in the Pacific, where China is attempting to expand its influence.
In an interview with POLITICO, Whipps described how Beijing has attempted to bring Palau into its orbit and pushed the government to “sever ties with Taiwan.”
“It’s the Chinese ambassador saying: ‘You’re a businessman and you understand China can give you a million tourists and build all the hotels you want. What are you waiting for? We have a billion people, and there are only 23 million people over here,” Whipps said, referencing Australia.
“But then it also turns to: ‘If you don’t follow what we say, we’re going to have to retaliate.’”
Palau, an island of just 18,000 residents, sparked friction with Beijing when it hosted the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ meeting in August and September.
Taiwan’s presence at PIF summits is typically limited, but Palau, one of three Pacific nations to recognise its independence, offered more access.
Taipei sent a large business delegation to the summit, with China warning of “consequences” after Taiwan’s democratically elected leader appeared at its opening ceremony.
“To me, that’s not a partnership. That’s not being a good friend. We shouldn’t be beaten, or have our sovereignty threatened, because we have made our sovereign decision to recognise Taiwan,” Whipps said.
The Palau president said his country’s support for Taiwan was a recognition that small nations could only hope to curb China’s belligerence in the region by presenting a unified front.
“If Taiwan can be taken over, then Palau can be taken over, and the Philippines can be taken over,” Whipps said.
“We’ve never said to China that we don’t want to be a diplomatic partner … but you don’t tell us that we can’t recognise Taiwan,” he said.
“They try to tell me that we need to follow the One China Principle. I said: ‘That’s our choice, not your choice.’”
In July, Pacific Islands nations were angered by Beijing testing a long-range ballistic missile in the South Pacific Ocean, which travelled more than 7,000 kilometers before landing in the ocean near or inside Tuvalu’s exclusive economic zone.
“Our issue is: why in the middle of all our islands? There’s the North Pacific — that’s all open. Just send it over there,” Whipps said.
China gave little notice of the test, which Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described as “provocative,” sparking calls for deeper defence cooperation between Pacific powers like Australia and Japan.
Palau, a former Japanese colony, has deep ties to Tokyo, with roughly a quarter of its residents having Japanese heritage.
Tokyo and Washington, both eager to counter China in the Pacific, regularly conduct joint military drills across the region, including in Palau.
“It’s important that not only the United States carries the burden of ensuring peace in the Pacific — that Japan, but Korea also step up and strengthen their militaries,” Whipps said.
But for now Palau, which does not have its own standing military, remains almost entirely reliant on the U.S. for its security.
Whipps insisted the Trump administration was maintaining its focus on the Pacific, despite fears the U.S. assets and attention were being drawn to Iran.
Whipps chided Washington’s closest allies, some of which are increasingly critical of the war, for not doing enough to support the U.S. from the outset.
“The crisis in the Middle East — led by one country which has proxies all over the Middle East — has been a challenge to the world,” he said.
“The United States standing up to that, I think, is important. I was hoping that the rest of the world would support the United States and get this done. Unfortunately, politics doesn’t work that way,” said Whipps…..PACNEWS
