He leads one of the world’s smallest nations, but Surangel Whipps says Palau will not be bullied by anyone into deciding its future — least of all by China.
Whipps, 52, became Palau’s president after last year defeating an opponent who favoured closer ties with Beijing.
The Pacific nation of around 21,000 people is one of just 15 countries that still recognise Taiwan over China, something Whipps is adamant will not change under his watch despite Beijing’s pressure campaign.
“If we were the last man standing we should be because Taiwan has been with us from the beginning,” he told AFP via video call this week after returning from a trip to Taipei, where the two allies set up a corona virus
Authoritarian China claims democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if needed
Beijing has whittled down Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies using a mixture of carrots and sticks.
In 2019, it had two successes in the Pacific, persuading the Solomons and Kiribati to switch sides.
Only Palau, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Tuvalu remain.
Whipps has emerged as the most vocally China-sceptical leader in the Pacific, something he says is forged from both Beijing’s more aggressive stance under President Xi Jinping, and his own interactions with Chine
