WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) 鈥� Beijing weaponized tourism to the Pacific archipelago of over its allegiance to Taiwan and its accusations that China was behind a major cyberattack there, President Surangel Whipps Jr. told The Associated Press.
Palau, along with Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, is one three Pacific nations to recognize Taiwan as an independent democracy 鈥� viewed as a snub by Beijing, which asserts it is part of China. Taipei鈥檚 allies in the Pacific have dwindled from six countries in 2019; .
Whipps told the AP in an interview late Thursday that, in 2020 while he was running for his current post, the Chinese ambassador to a neighboring country pledged to flood his tourism-dependent nation of 20,000 people with a million visitors if he capitulated on the country鈥檚 stance.
鈥淭hat continues to be the overture,鈥� he said by phone Thursday. 鈥淭hey say, why are you torturing yourselves? Just join us and the sky鈥檚 the limit.鈥�
Whipps refused. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 need a million tourists,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not always about how much money we get.鈥�
His stance is vanishingly rare amid Pacific island nations 鈥� some struggling to sustain themselves and feeling overlooked by Western powers while their backyards are increasingly the settings for some of the . Amid intensifying conflict over ocean territory, resources and political sway, on the three hold-out countries was increasing, analysts said.
鈥淎s the number of Taiwan鈥檚 diplomatic allies in the Pacific dwindles, the obstacles to China鈥檚 regional diplomacy diminish,鈥� said Mihai Sora, Director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute.
China鈥檚 penalties for Palau鈥檚 intransigence are not new, but they have escalated in the months leading up to November鈥檚 in which Whipps will seek another term as leader, he said. In May, he on Palau in which 20,000 government documents were stolen. The claim was unproven, Whipps said, but no other motive or actor had emerged.
Earlier that month, Palau tourism industry representatives were denied visas to enter Macau for a lucrative international industry conference. Then reports appeared in China鈥檚 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.
Whipps rejected the reports of security problems but said the claims had stuck 鈥� visitor numbers from China halved in 2024, now down to 30% of its tourists. Once, 70% of Palau鈥檚 visitors came from China, but the country tried to diversify its market after Beijing unofficially blocked its citizens from visiting in 2017.
鈥淧alau has found itself in a position where it relies on Chinese tourists for income,鈥� Sora said. 鈥淭his is a tap China can quite easily turn on and off 鈥� and it does.鈥�
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. Washington and its citizens can live and work in the U.S.
In February 鈥� as renewal of the aid for Palau, Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia 鈥� Whipps warned U.S. lawmakers that Beijing was trying to capitalize on the uncertainty. The funds have since been unlocked, and Whipps on Thursday shrugged off any suggestion of lasting damage, adding that democracy 鈥渟ometimes takes a little longer than expected.鈥�
But many analysts say Washington was too slow to recognize China鈥檚 campaign of influence in the Pacific and took for granted relationships with the leaders of tiny island nations who . Meanwhile, Whipps said, Beijing offered incentives and wooed with red carpets and fanfare some leaders who had never met an American president before a first held in 2022.
Western nations had at times seen Pacific island countries as 鈥渄ots on a map,鈥� Whipps added. Things were changing, he said 鈥� this week, Palau hosted New Zealand鈥檚 Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, who is also the Foreign Minister, in the highest-profile visit Whipps had received from that country.
鈥淭hat mutual respect, that caring, it means a lot,鈥� he said, adding that China had elsewhere 鈥渄one very good at that diplomacy.鈥�
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.
Whipps also hailed educational opportunities for Palau鈥檚 youth in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. 鈥淲e want our best and brightest to be educated in schools that share our values,鈥� he said.
He also for its pristine waters 鈥� 80% of which are a marine sanctuary, the largest proportion of any country in the world. Four Chinese vessels have made incursions without permission since he became leader, Whipps said.
Recent elections in the Pacific have proved fertile ground for bolstering ties with China. In the 鈥� which cut ties with Taiwan in 2019 鈥� the Chinese embassy announced on polling day that Kiribati seafood could now enter China鈥檚 market. Ahead of an election in the Solomon Islands in April 鈥� which also , forming a secretive security pact with Beijing 鈥� the ruling party warned that cooling relations with China could stifle logging trade with the Solomons, a boon its economy is dependent on.
As November鈥檚 Palau election approaches, challenges from long-time pro-Beijing voices in Palau are growing once more, Whipps said. However, he said the campaign would be fought not on foreign influence but on the merits of tax reform, and did not believe a change in leadership would weaken ties to Taiwan.
Politicians in Palau do not run on party platforms. Whipps' main opponent for the presidency was the country鈥檚 leader until 2021. Former President Thomas Remengesau Jr. also rebuffed China鈥檚 attempts at sway during his time in office.
鈥淲e鈥檝e always had the belief that we should be friends to all and enemies to none,鈥� Whipps said. 鈥淥ur relationship to Taiwan shouldn鈥檛 be questioned by anybody.鈥�
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AP video producer Olivia Zhang contributed reporting from Beijing.
Charlotte Graham-mclay, The Associated Press
