Palau

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is leading a bipartisan delegation in the Republic of Palau, an island nation of around 18,000 people that sits just ...

Australia is extremely capable of helping in each of these areas, and has usefully [financed a solar project](https://www.aiffp.gov.au/investments/investment-list/palau-solar-plant-investment). Australia should work with the US to provide more assistance and resources in law enforcement; for example, there are very limited human resources in the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute felonies. A lack of domestic capacity and resources means that there are limited options for new housing that is energy-efficient and that can withstand a typhoon—an increasingly frequent occurrence due to climate change. The failure to see and promote Palau as a unique tourist destination is the failure to leverage one of Australia’s greatest strengths: its people. The government has already announced that it is expanding available visas for Pacific islanders to work in Australia. Still, it’s [no secret](https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/07/01/pacific-island-countries-us-china-influence-strategy-cofa/) that Beijing has sought to pry Palau away from the US and its democratic partners. To twist an old adage: rather than just handing Palau a fish so it could eat for a day, Australia would be providing a fishing pole so Palau could fish for its future. What Palau lacks in size it makes up for in strategic importance: as the island furthest to the west in the second island chain between the United States and mainland Asia, it stands to play a critical logistical role in any military conflict that may occur in the region. Australia should join Japan and Taiwan in offering scholarships to students, as well as opening up additional skills-training opportunities for working professionals, that provide first-rate experiences but require Palauans to return to their country at the end of the programs. Luckily, there are several areas where Australia might assist Palau, including many that stand to create new opportunities for Australian businesses and people. [largely ignored](https://www.aspi.org.au/opinion/australia-cant-forget-micronesia) the north Pacific. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is leading a bipartisan delegation in the Republic of Palau, an island nation of around 18,000 people that sits just north of the equator in the western Pacific Ocean.

Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham says the efforts Palau's government are taking to enhance connectivity across nations is a “critical ...

Palau's President, Surangel Whipps Jr, is urging Australia help up its efforts to help Pacific Island nations adapt to climate change.

His comments came as Foreign Minister Penny Wong and a bipartisan delegation wrapped up a tour of Pacific island nations. Mr Albanese said the government will ...

"You understand, Mr President, the importance of regional unity that inclusive, robust regional structures ... you're not going to tell us we can't be their friend," Mr Whipps said. "Like Australia and the United States, Taiwan has been a strong ally and partner and we feel that that relationship is important to continue to maintain. Mr Whipps also spoke of the importance of flights between Australia and Palau, which start in February, as a measure to keep the Pacific nations connected. "It is in our interest to have a better relationship with our major trading partner, but it's also in the interest of peace and security in the region, to have dialogue," he told Sky News. Mr Albanese said the government will continue to forge a better relationship with Beijing, but would stand up to protect the country's national interest.

Palau's president says his country paid an economic price for standing up to China by continuing to support Taiwan.

“Like Australia and the United States, Taiwan has been a strong ally and partner. And I think Palau has seen that over the years,” he said. Connect with Andrew on [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) “Their ferocious, ferocious appetite, so we had, unfortunately ... But you know, I don’t think that’s the way you treat true friendship and true partnership. Palau has also faced financial pressure from China to abandon Taiwan.

Australian support for Palau's maritime security and its economy would strengthen the Pacific region, a leading national security...

"The north Pacific is the centrepiece of strategic competition between China and the US," Dr Bergin said. He said Australia had for too long ignored the importance of the Micronesia region, which includes Palau, and needed to focus its Pacific policy to include the area. "The arms of tourism, business and defence should be working together to strengthen Palau."

A new investigative report from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has exposed details of a Chinese Communist Party and Triad push ...

So, it is interlinked and this is something with implications for the whole of the Pacific." In this case we haven't had great success but what it does shows is the kind of methods used all across the Pacific. And he was leasing the land from former President Toribiong's cousin who is currently a minister in Cabinet. We also found that when we looked into how these businesses got set up in the country they had made a lot of links with members of the local elite including two former presidents." "One of those we spoke to was former Palau President Johnson Toribiong who is a lawyer. We focused in on Palau because it is a country where there has been a really interesting case of this happening.