China’s role in the region is a constant pressure in one direction. New Zealand and Australian policies towards the region have been naive at best, and the situation was worsened by U.S. State Department following Canberra and Wellington’s lead.
For all the regional talk of “Pacific family” and “friends to all enemies to none” who did – and who didn’t – show up for the Jan. 16 inauguration of Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr....
We have a country that is geopolitically sophisticated, with close ties to the U.S., Japan and Taiwan, and is in a highly strategic location. So who showed up to Palau’s party, and who didn’t?
In October 2024, Suidani and Talifilu were arrested by Solomon Islands police under unusual circumstances. On December 19th, Australia announced it was giving Solomons AUS$190 million ‘to grow the size and capability of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), in response to a request by Solomon Islands’.
There is a spike in activity now because China sees Palau’s 5 November election as an opportunity to put in place representatives that are more in line with its ambitions.
At the start of this month, both Suidani and Talifilu were arrested on three counts of unlawful assembly related to the failed no confidence vote of 2021.
There is a lot going on in the Republic of Palau, a country of over 300 islands and around 20,000 people southeast of the Philippines. Its strategic location has meant Palau has been subject to waves of...
Vance’s focus on China is not surprising. In his personal and professional life he’s seen the way People’s Republic of China actions have affected the lives of Americans.
Excerpt Guam and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)—constituent parts of the United States—sit in such proximity to the Asian coast that the CNMI shares a maritime border with Japan....
‘CCP must lie in order to cover up the terrible things that they’re doing in China, in Hong Kong, and around the world. To do this, they use narrative warfare to control what people see as the truth.’
Nine days after D-Day, on June 15, 1944, the Battle of Saipan erupted on the other side of the world. It was to be as pivotal for the Pacific Theater as D-Day was for the war in Europe. Eighty years...
Since 2019, Beijing has spent a considerable amount of money and effort setting up its position in the Solomon Islands and openly assisting in the crushing of dissent.
As James Lilley, former U.S. ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), often said, China has a habit of telegraphing its punches...
‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita...
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PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans.
NATO provisions don’t include security guarantees for American Pacific Territories. But other U.S. treaty allies do—which is why this week’s meetings in D.C. are so important
The challenge is that the report needs more strategic and integrated intelligence to appropriately describe today’s threats to the United States and its partners and allies, says Jack Gaines.
Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands are the United States’ closest allies. And they’re essential for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Tony Zielinski is a regular American citizen, who was enjoying his life in Florida. Then he read about the problems with the renewals of key elements of the Compacts of Free Association with Palau, the...