Taiwan offered Micronesia US$50 million to switch allegiance from Beijing, Pacific nation’s president says

Micronesia’s president said the Pacific nation ‘can and will receive’ US$50 million if it switches diplomatic allegiance from Beijing to Taipei

He made the revelation in a letter to state governors and other political leaders that also accused mainland China of ‘political warfare’ and bribery

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Micronesia’s President David Panuelo shakes hands with China’s former Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2019. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:33pm, 13 Mar 2023Updated: 2:33pm, 13 Mar 2023

Micronesia’s president discussed switching diplomatic allegiance to Taiwan in exchange for US$50 million in a letter to other national leaders in which he also accused Beijing of “political warfare”.

President David Panuelo said mainland China had been using nefarious tactics, including spying and offering bribes, in an effort to ensure that if it goes to war with Taiwan, Micronesia would be aligned with Beijing rather than the United States, or would at least abstain from taking sides.

Panuelo sent the 13-page letter dated March 9, which was obtained by reporters, to state governors and other political leaders of the Pacific nation.

The letter represented an unusually frank assessment of Beijing’s motives in the region and laid bare the financial incentives for smaller countries to switch diplomatic allegiance.

Should Micronesia switch allegiance to Taiwan, it would represent a rare win for the self-governing island, after several Pacific nations switched allegiance from Taipei to Beijing in recent years.

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