Palau president calls for global joint resistance against the threat of CCP China

Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

China pressures Palau to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Palau president calls for global joint resistance

Reporter : Li Haoyue / Editor : Li Lin / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/24/10/31/n14361857.htm / Image : On 29 September 2022, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. delivered a speech when meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington, DC. (Sarah Silbiger/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Chinese Communist Party continues to exert pressure in an attempt to coerce the Pacific island nation of Palau to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. (Huishuren) once again disclosed the CCP’s bad behavior and accused the CCP of violating its national sovereignty. He called on democratic countries around the world to jointly resist the threat of the CCP.

According to a report by Bloomberg on Wednesday (30 October 2024), Whipps said in an interview that the country is facing increasing pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, which is trying to coerce Palau to stop supporting Taipei, especially during the upcoming national election. 

"This is exactly the challenge that countries that believe in freedom, democracy and the rule of law need to unite to resist. Otherwise, we may be engulfed," Whipps said.

Palau will hold a general election next Tuesday (5 November 2024), the same day as the U.S. presidential election.

Palau is an archipelago country located in northern Australia with a population of only about 20,000 people. Washington and Beijing have been vying for influence in the region, which is not only home to vital shipping lanes and communications cables but is also rich in fisheries and seabed minerals.

Whipps also expressed dissatisfaction with the unauthorized entry of Chinese vessels into Palau's exclusive economic zone, warning that the struggle for geopolitical influence was intensifying and would pose a serious threat to countries in the region.

He stressed that Pacific countries must safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity to cope with geopolitical challenges.

After the CCP induced Nauru to announce that it would cut off diplomatic relations with Taiwan in early 2024, only 12 countries in the world maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Whipps is also concerned about CCP China’s restrictions on tourist visits to Palau, which poses a threat to the country’s tourism-reliant economy.

In July 2024, Whipps said that the Chinese Communist authorities’ pressure on the country had reached a “new level” and the Chinese Communist government issued a travel warning recommending not to travel to Palau.

In 2017, the Chinese Communist Party began to ban state-run tour groups from visiting Palau, causing the number of tourists to the country to plummet. This has prompted Palau to pay more attention to exploring new markets.

Whipps has been supporting the U.S. government in strengthening diplomatic relations with the Pacific region and is considering strengthening security ties with the United States and even deploying U.S. missile defense systems.

In addition, former President Tommy Remengesau Jr. is running against Whipps in the hope of being re-elected. Remengesau Jr. also firmly supported diplomatic relations with Taiwan when he was in office.