Palau leader stresses need for US help to deter China’s assertive move in the Pacific

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — The leader of the Pacific island nation of Palau says it needs U.S. help to deter China’s “unwanted activities” around its coasts. Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. also repeated on Thursday his government’s determination to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The president said in Tokyo that three Chinese boats have made “uninvited” entries into his country’s waters since he took office in 2021, stressing the need for U.S. backing to enhance deterrence against China’s assertiveness in the region. Whipps also visited the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to see its preparation for a planned release of treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean this summer.