In the West Pacific archipelago of Palau, one of the few remaining countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan, President Surangel Whipps Jr. stated that the pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has reached a “new height.” According to a report by Nikkei Asia on Tuesday (July 16), during the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM10) held in Tokyo, Whipps mentioned that the CCP government refused a Palau delegation’s visit to Macau. In May, the Palau delegation was denied entry to Macau to attend an international conference on travel agencies because of Palau’s diplomatic relationship with Taiwan.
Whipps remarked that they had never encountered such a situation before and that in terms of economic relations and other aspects, there had never been any issues. However, in terms of travel and attempts to hinder opportunities, this pressure represents a new level.
Furthermore, Whipps mentioned another recent attack on Palau’s customs and border protection system. He stated that officials “cannot confirm fully” whether the attempt to disrupt the migration system is related to China (CCP), but it appears to be the case. He believed that the purpose of this attack was to disrupt the country’s tourism industry.
Fortunately, the cyberattack was unsuccessful due to Palau’s recent upgrade of its network system with the assistance of partners such as the United States, Australia, Japan, and Taiwan.
In March, this small nation with a population of around 20,000 experienced a large-scale ransomware attack, where thousands of government documents were stolen and released on the dark web. Whipps pointed out that experts have traced the source of the cyberattack back to China (CCP).
Recently, the Chinese government issued a travel warning advising against travel to Palau. In 2017, China banned state-owned group tours to Palau, leading to a sharp decline in tourist numbers. This prompted Palau to prioritize expanding into new markets. “We are truly diversifying and no longer relying so heavily on Chinese tourists.” Since then, they have added a new route with direct flights to Australia, increased flights to Taiwan, and plan to resume direct flights to Japan.
Whipps emphasized, “Chinese tourists are still our largest group, and we are grateful for that. However, we also understand their tendency to weaponize tourism.”
The CCP’s expansion activities in the Pacific region are intensifying. In April 2022, China signed a secret security agreement with the Solomon Islands, prompting the United States, Japan, and Australia to strengthen contacts with countries in the region to counter Beijing’s growing influence.