Micronesia president accuses China of bribery, ‘political warfare’
- Outgoing leader David Panuelo detailed allegations of Chinese espionage, coercion of government officials and ‘direct threats’ against his personal safety
- He warned the incoming government about a barrage of threats from Beijing that he believes risk making the sparsely populated island federation a vassal state
Micronesia’s president has accused China of bribery, harassment and “political warfare”, in an explosive letter to his country’s legislature obtained on Friday.
“Simply put, we are witnessing political warfare in our country,” outgoing leader David Panuelo warned lawmakers, detailing allegations of Chinese espionage, coercion of government officials and “direct threats” against his personal safety.
Panuelo has previously voiced concerns about Beijing’s growing power in the South Pacific, most notably opposing a security deal that could allow Chinese troops to be deployed to the region.
But his letter went much further, warning the incoming government about a barrage of threats that he believes risk making the sparsely populated island federation a vassal state.
China, he said, had “demonstrated a keen capability to undermine our sovereignty, rejects our values, and uses our elected and senior officials for their own purposes”.
Among the dramatic allegations, Panuelo claims his own cabinet colleagues transmitted recordings of bilateral meetings directly to China.