After Palau held its presidential election on November 5, incumbent President Surangel Whipps Jr. was announced as the winner this week. Palau — an archipelago of more than 300 islands to the east of the Philippines and southwest of Guam — is one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic partners in the region and has seen an increasing U.S. military presence in recent years, making it a focal point for competition between the United States and China. Palau gained independence from the United States in 1994 and has maintained a close relationship with Washington ever since under the Compact of Free Association.

Type: Question and Answer

Democracy & Governance;  Global Policy

If the U.S. government wants an edge over China in the Pacific Islands, it needs to facilitate more meetings between the president of the United States and regional leaders, preferably one-on-one. When Pacific Island leaders fly to Beijing, they often have a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but such a meeting between the leader of a Pacific Island country and a sitting president of the United States has never taken place. The White House has only conducted joint meetings with Pacific Island leaders. Sometimes even joint meetings don’t make the cut.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

As the United States seeks to shore up alliances and maintain regional stability amid increasing Chinese competition in the Pacific, it needs to mend strained relations with the island states that are its closest partners. The U.S. government describes Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands as “the bedrock of the U.S. role in the Pacific” and “crucial” to U.S. defense there. After months of delay that have undermined those relationships, the United States this month renewed the funding that underpins their government budgets. But significant bilateral strains will require further U.S. attention.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy