Maria T. Reyes
Palau and the Philippines are strengthening maritime security cooperation, with the Pacific island nation’s desire for deeper regional ties flowing from its position on the front line of unfolding geopolitical competition.
“Palau is the westernmost island nation in the Pacific,” Jennifer Anson, the country’s national security coordinator, said during the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea in November 2025. “We share a border with the Philippines. The South China Sea is just on the other side.”
China’s expansive and arbitrary claims to the resource-rich sea, a vital global trade route, have heightened regional tensions and sparked confrontations with other claimant states, particularly the Philippines.
Anson said such activity in the South China Sea eventually will spread east “and Palau is right there.”
Palau is part of the second island chain, which encompasses the United States territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands and is a vital line of defense for the U.S. and its Allies and Partners. With a population of about 17,000, Palau has limited maritime law enforcement assets to secure its more than 300 islands and atolls and 500,000-square-kilometer exclusive economic zone. Partners including Australia and the U.S. support Palau in deterring and countering maritime crimes such as illegal fishing.
Philippine National Security Advisor Eduardo Año said Manila already sees signs of China’s growing presence in Palau’s waters, a development that mirrors the Philippines’ experience in the South China Sea.
“We can see the trend,” Año said, noting Beijing’s naming of local underwater mountains known as seamounts. “Soon, China may create a historical narrative claiming Palau as [its territory] thousands of years ago.”
Palau is one of the few countries with formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the self-governed island that China claims as its territory and threatens to annex by force.
“People ask me what keeps me up at night. China keeps me up at night,” Anson said. “They’re already in Palau. It’s not about keeping threats out — the threats are already there. The question is how to mitigate them. Cooperation is the answer.”
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pledged in early 2025 to deepen collaboration in maritime security and other sectors. “We welcome maritime cooperation with Palau,” Año said. “The distance between our countries is less than 400 nautical miles.”
Smaller states such as Palau need strong partners such as Australia, Japan and the U.S. “to ensure the rule of law is respected,” he added.
For Palau, expanding cooperation beyond traditional allies is a crucial next step. “We already have shiprider agreements with the U.S. Coast Guard and Taiwan Coast Guard but expanding this to [Association of Southeast Asian Nations members] would really benefit Palau,” Anson said, referring to bilateral maritime law enforcement pacts.
Don McLain Gill, an international studies lecturer at De La Salle University in the Philippines, told FORUM that Manila similarly benefits from having strong connections with Pacific nations such as Palau, including sharing information.
Maria T. Reyes is a FORUM contributor reporting from Manila, Philippines.
