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China–Palau relations

China–Palau relations
Map indicating locations of China and Palau

China
Palau

China–Palau relations refers to the bilateral relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Palau. Palau recognizes the Republic of China, and is one of the few countries to maintain an embassy in Taipei. The Chinese Embassy in the Federated States of Micronesia is responsible for Palau-related affairs.

History

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Before Palau established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China in 1999, it maintained friendly relations with the People's Republic of China. On January 26, 1989, Ma Yuzhen, the Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles, attended the inauguration ceremony of the new President Nkilatkere Etpisun in Koror at the invitation of the Palau government.[1][unreliable source?]

In March 1991, Palau President Nkilatkere Etpiseng visited China for a week at the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs. He visited Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. He was accompanied by Palau House of Representatives Speaker Ciro Kiyuta and Senate party leader Peter Sugiama.[2][3] During the visit, Chinese President Yang Shangkun and Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs President Han Nianlong met with the Palau President.[4][5]

In March 1994, a Palauan congressional delegation visited China.[6] Qiao Shi, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and Li Lanqing, Vice Premier of the State Council, met with the congressional delegation.[7][8] On September 30, Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China, announced the Chinese government's decision to recognize the Palauan government.[9]

Palau established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1999.[10] In 2010, a Chinese petroleum company signed a US$40 million cooperation agreement with Palau to explore oil reserve around the islands country.[11]

Journalists have reported on PRC united front influence operations linked to Chinese organized crime in Palau.[12] Resort investments in Palau have been proposed by the Prince Group, a Chinese-Cambodian conglomerate founded by Chinese businessman Chen Zhi (Chinese: 陳志), which has been previously linked to money laundering, online scams, and human trafficking.[13][14][15] In 2019, multiple media outlets reported that Wan Kuok-koi, a leader of 14K, attempted to lease land on Angaur with the goal of opening a casino.[16]

In February 2015, the President of Palau ordered a reduction in flights from China to Palau starting in April. He said that the purpose of doing so was to take responsibility for the future of Palau and to ease the huge pressure from Chinese tourists.[17]

In June 2020, Palau openly opposed the Hong Kong national security law.[18]

In June 2023, the President of Palau stated that Chinese ships had recently entered Palau's exclusive economic zone several times and that he had asked the US military to increase patrols in the waters.[19]

In 2025, Reuters and The Washington Post reported that an official with the United Front Work Department (UFWD) had made illegal political contributions to Palau politicians.[16][20] They also reported that Chinese developers with links to the UFWD have leased land adjacent to U.S. military installations on Palau, which effectively blocks their expansion and provides a means for surveillance.[16][20]

References

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  1. ^ "友好简讯" [Friendly Newsletter]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 1989-01-28. p. 6.
  2. ^ "贝劳共和国总统抵京" [The President of the Republic of Palau arrives in Beijing]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 1991-03-16. p. 4.
  3. ^ "贝劳总统离开广州回国". People's Daily (in Chinese). 1991-03-23. p. 4.
  4. ^ "韩念龙会见贝劳总统". People's Daily (in Chinese). 1991-03-18. p. 4.
  5. ^ "杨主席会见贝劳总统". People's Daily (in Chinese). 1991-03-19. p. 1.
  6. ^ "贝劳国会代表团开始访问中国" [Palauan congressional delegation begins visit to China]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 1994-03-02. p. 4.
  7. ^ "乔石会见贝劳国会代表团" [Qiao Shi meets with the Palau Congressional delegation]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 1994-03-03. p. 1.
  8. ^ "外事简讯" [Foreign Affairs Brief]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 1994-03-05. p. 4.
  9. ^ 中国外交概览 1995 [Overview of China's Diplomacy] (in Chinese). Beijing: World Knowledge Publishing House. December 1995.
  10. ^ China in Oceania: Reshaping the Pacific? (Page 179). Berghahn Books. March 2010. ISBN 9781845456320. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  11. ^ "Yang: China not factor in Taiwan-Palau relation". The China Post. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  12. ^ "Pacific Gambit: Inside the Chinese Communist Party and Triad Push into Palau". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Think tank warns about Chinese tactics in Palau". Taipei Times. 2025-03-03. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  14. ^ "U.S. think tank warns of Chinese transnational crime syndicates in Palau". Focus Taiwan. 2025-03-01. Archived from the original on March 1, 2025. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  15. ^ Adamović Davies, Jack; Tang, Jane (March 12, 2025). "Pacific governments warned of 'threat' from Cambodia's Prince Group". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c McKenzie, Pete; Adams, Hollie (2025-04-30). "Inside the U.S. battle with China over an island paradise deep in the Pacific". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
  17. ^ "下令減少中國航班 帛琉總統：我要為帛琉的未來負責" [Palau's President orders reduction of Chinese flights: I am responsible for Palau's future] (in Chinese). 風傳媒. 2015-03-17. Archived from the original on 2017-06-18. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  18. ^ Lawler, Dave (2 July 2020). "The 53 countries supporting China's crackdown on Hong Kong". Axios. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  19. ^ "帕勞指中國船隻進入專屬經濟區 以此為由邀美軍進駐" [Palau accuses Chinese ships of entering its exclusive economic zone and invites US forces to deploy]. HK01 (in Chinese). 2023-06-16. Archived from the original on 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  20. ^ a b Miller, Michael E.; Li, Lyric; Xu, An Rong; Stein, Perry; Meyer, Theodoric; Jacobs, Shayna; Sheinerman, Marie-Rose; Vinall, Frances; Jeong, Andrew (2025-07-29). "The U.S. military is investing in this Pacific island. So is China". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-07-30.