Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Palau president visits Taiwan amid Chinese pressure

The president of the Pacific island country of Palau is visiting Taiwan along with the U.S. ambassador to his country

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 30 March 2021 01:23 EDT
Taiwan Palau
Taiwan Palau (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The president of the Pacific island nation of Palau was visiting Taiwan on Tuesday along with the U.S. ambassador to his country, a show of solidarity as China increases diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taiwan.

Palau President Surangel Whipps was scheduled to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during his visit Tuesday.

The presence of the U.S. ambassador to Palau, John Hennessey-Niland, was a further sign of Washington’s support for Taiwan, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the two.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under Beijing’s control by force if deemed necessary and it has worked to international isolate the island.

China has banned its citizens from visiting Palau, but Taiwan has responded by introducing a travel bubble between the two that will allow visitors to avoid being quarantined.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in