Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. says Beijing weaponizes tourism to the Pacific Island archipelago in an effort to force it to sever ties with Taiwan.
FILE - Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan , June 15, 2023, in Tokyo. over its allegiance to Taiwan and its accusations that China was behind a major cyberattack there, President Surangel Whipps Jr. told The Associated Press.
Whipps refused. “We don’t need a million tourists,” he added. “It’s not always about how much money we get.” Earlier that month, Palau tourism industry representatives were denied visas to enter Macau for a lucrative international industry conference. Then reports appeared in China’s state media and on an official WeChat channel in June, warning tourists of an increase in safety issues for Chinese visitors to Palau. The remarks, seen by the AP, urged citizens to be cautious when traveling there.
Support comes from other quarters, however. Unlike most Pacific nations, Palau, a republic that has been independent since 1994, holds close ties to the United States in a free association agreement. WashingtonBut many analysts say Washington was too slow to recognize China’s campaign of influence in the Pacific and took for granted relationships with the leaders of tiny island nations who.
Palau has instead strengthened its ties with Taiwan and Japan, which along with Australia have supplied diversity to a tourism market still rebounding from the coronavirus pandemic. In May, a non-stop airline route opened between Palau and Brisbane.
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