President Palau "Taiwan to strengthen relations with the United States" with China in mind

In an interview with NHK, President Whips of Palau, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, expressed his intention to strengthen relations with Taiwan and the United States, keeping in mind China, which is becoming more influential in the region.

Palau, a major tourism industry, has stopped accepting tourists from overseas due to the influence of the new coronavirus, but plans to resume the traffic of group tourists with Taiwan, which has diplomatic relations, from April. ..

Prior to this, President Whips of Palau responded to an interview with NHK online, saying, "Taiwan has succeeded in controlling the infection and Palau has no infected people. It is possible to open the market in a safe state." He stated that he hoped that the resumption of tourist traffic would lead to an economic recovery.

President Whips also warned that there was a recent illegal operation by Chinese fishing boats off the coast of Palau, saying, "China is a huge country and its influence is growing. I want to get along with all the nations, but respect the rule of law. "

In recent years, China has become more influential in the Pacific region through huge amounts of support and investment, and some countries have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but President Whips has diplomatic relations with Taiwan as Palau. Emphasized the idea of ​​maintaining.

On the other hand, regarding the relationship with the United States, which has an agreement to entrust national defense, he said, "It is important to have a partner who protects the security of the region. The existence of the US military gives the people of Palau safety and security." It suggested the possibility of requesting the establishment of a US military base.

Palau's Corona Countermeasures

According to the WHO = World Health Organization, as of 26th, no one has been confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus in 8 of the 14 Pacific island countries, including Palau.

Since many of these island countries have inadequate medical systems, we have introduced measures to prohibit entry from overseas or require isolation after entry at an early stage.

Of these, Palau requires voluntary quarantine for 14 days before departure to Palau, submission of negative proof of two PCR tests, and up to 21 days of quarantine after entry.

Group tourists from Taiwan, who will be reopened this time, will be exempted from quarantine, but will be restricted to visits and will not be allowed to act freely by individuals to thoroughly prevent infection.

Palau, whose main industry is tourism, is a popular travel destination for Japanese people, especially for leisure activities such as diving, but tourists have virtually stopped entering the country for over a year due to the suspension of regular international flights. The domestic economy has been hit hard.

For this reason, the Palauan government intends to take all possible measures against infection and gradually resume accepting tourists from overseas in order to recover the economy.

On the other hand, vaccination started in January after receiving a donation from the United States, and as of 16th of this month, about 60% of people over the age of 18 have completed the first vaccination.

Influential China

According to the Lowey Institute, an Australian think tank, China's aid to 14 Pacific island countries in 2018 totaled more than 240 million dollars, or 26 billion yen in Japanese yen, which is the second largest after Australia and New Zealand. The second most common is to support and invest in infrastructure development such as roads and port facilities.

Countries with diplomatic relations with Taiwan are concentrated in the Pacific region, but as China expanded its influence, as a result of approaching these countries, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati broke up with Taiwan one after another. We have diplomatic relations with China.

For this reason, it is believed that behind the huge amount of support and investment by China, there is a desire to break the relationship with Taiwan.

On the other hand, the United States provides financial support and is responsible for national defense based on the agreement with Palau.

Recently, with China in mind, military and economic involvement in Palau has been strengthened, and the US military is proceeding with a plan to install a radar that can monitor the waters around Palau, and in August last year, Esper Defense at that time. The Secretary visited Palau.

In addition, we have been providing vaccines for the new coronavirus since we entered this year.

As the countries of the Pacific Ocean become the scene of the conflict between China and the United States, Palau wants to maintain good relations with the United States, and it seems that such an idea is also the reason for resuming tourist traffic with Taiwan. is.