by Richard Sanders, Staff Writer
The leader of one of Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies in the Pacific has stated that his country is facing increasing pressure from China to withdraw its support for Taipei. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. also accused China of infringing on his nation’s exclusive economic zone, which is located north of Australia.
Palau is set to hold a national election next Tuesday, coinciding with the US presidential election.
In a recent speech at the “Summit of the Future” at the UN General Assembly in New York City, Whipps emphasized that Pacific nations are committed to upholding their sovereignty and territorial integrity, but he cautioned that the competition for geopolitical influence is escalating and may pose challenges.
The United States and China are competing for influence in this region, which is crucial for shipping routes, communication networks, fisheries, and seabed resources.
Whipps acknowledged that China has been exerting significant pressure, particularly regarding the potential outcomes of Palau’s elections and their implications for its relationship with Taiwan. He noted, “It’s very clear that they have an agenda, and that agenda involves Taiwan,” adding that China attempts to label Palau’s support for Taipei as illegal.
China has leveraged its growing economic power to diminish the number of countries recognizing Taipei, especially among developing nations in the Pacific that are in need of investment and infrastructure.
Currently, only 12 countries maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, following Nauru’s recent decision to switch recognition to Beijing. This situation has drawn the attention of foreign ministries and analysts to elections in small nations like Palau, which has a population of around 20,000 and is strategically situated between Hawaii and the Philippines.
Whipps has generally supported US President Joe Biden’s initiatives to strengthen ties with the Pacific, even incorporating the “Build Back Better” slogan into his re-election campaign. He has also expressed interest in enhancing security relationships with the US, including the potential deployment of US missile systems to Palau.
Although the president has criticized China’s regional actions, he did not provide specific examples of Beijing pressuring his administration to sever ties with Taiwan. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment on Whipps’ statements.
Whipps is in a close re-election race against former Palauan president Tommy Remengesau Jr., who has questioned the necessity of deepening military connections with the US but has historically supported relations with Taiwan.
Whipps also voiced his opposition to seabed mining, a point of contention with Beijing. Despite global interest in exploring the ocean floor for critical minerals, he argued against disrupting the marine environment, emphasizing the importance of preserving the region’s healthy tuna stocks.
He expressed frustration over unauthorized Chinese vessels entering Palau’s exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its shores. Previously, Whipps accused China of restricting Chinese tourism to Palau, a sensitive issue for the tourism-reliant nation.
“This is where nations that believe in freedom, democracy, and the rule of law need to unite and protect their interests,” Whipps warned.
台灣在太平洋地區剩餘的外交盟友之一的領導人表示，他的國家正面臨來自中國日益增長的壓力，要求撤回對台北的支持。帛琉總統蘇朗基爾·惠普斯（Surangel Whipps Jr.）還指責中國侵犯了他國的專屬經濟區，該區位於澳大利亞以北。
帛琉定於下週二舉行國家選舉，恰逢美國總統選舉。
惠普斯在近期於紐約市聯合國大會的“未來峰會”上發表演講時強調，太平洋國家致力於維護其主權和領土完整，但他警告說，地緣政治影響力的競爭正在加劇，可能帶來挑戰。
美國和中國正在這一對航運路線、通信網絡、漁業和海底資源至關重要的地區競爭影響力。
惠普斯承認，中國正施加重大壓力，特別是對於帛琉選舉的潛在結果及其對與台灣關係的影響。他指出：“很明顯他們有一個議程，這個議程涉及台灣，”並補充說中國試圖將帛琉對台北的支持標籤為非法。
中國利用其日益增長的經濟實力，減少承認台北的國家數量，特別是在太平洋地區的發展中國家中，這些國家急需投資和基礎設施。
目前，只有12個國家與台灣保持外交關係，此前瑙魯最近決定轉而承認北京。這一情況引起了外交部和分析師對像帛琉這樣的小國選舉的關注，帛琉人口約為20,000，戰略位置位於夏威夷和菲律賓之間。
惠普斯通常支持美國總統喬·拜登加強與太平洋國家關係的倡議，甚至在他的連任競選中融入了“重建更美好”的口號。他還表達了加強與美國的安全關係的興趣，包括可能在帛琉部署美國導彈系統。
儘管總統批評了中國的區域行動，但他並未提供具體例子來說明北京如何施壓其政府切斷與台灣的聯繫。中國外交部對惠普斯的言論未作回應。
惠普斯正與前帛琉總統湯米·瑞門基索（Tommy Remengesau Jr.）進行激烈的連任競選，後者曾質疑深化與美國軍事聯繫的必要性，但歷來支持與台灣的關係。
惠普斯還表達了對海底採礦的反對，這一點與北京存在爭議。儘管全球對探索海底關鍵礦產的興趣日益增長，但他主張應避免擾亂海洋環境，強調保持該地區健康金槍魚存量的重要性。
他對未經授權的中國船隻進入帛琉的專屬經濟區表示沮喪，該區域距離其海岸200海里（370公里）。此前，惠普斯指責中國限制中國遊客前往帛琉，這對於依賴旅遊的國家來說是一個敏感問題。
“這是信仰自由、民主和法治的國家需要團結起來，保護他們利益的地方，”惠普斯警告道。
