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Palau

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Palau. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Ngerulmud

Head of State

President Surangel Whipps Jr.

Head of Government

President Surangel Whipps Jr.

A screen showing stock prices at the end of the trading day on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on April 4, 2025. World financial markets are continuing to react to reciprocal tariffs that US President Donald Trump implemented. Photo: EPA-EFE

US-China trade war

My Take | The United States, not China, turns out to be the real bogeyman

The significance of Trump’s tariffs is that they have destroyed the credibility of America on which its global alliances have long depended.

6 Apr 2025 - 9:00PM

United States

My Take | Donald Trump’s tariff madness targets not only allies but animals

4 Apr 2025 - 9:00PM

Asia travel

Diving aside, Pacific paradise Palau wants you to visit for its culture

24 Feb 2025 - 1:47PM

Taiwan

Why the ‘Out of Taiwan’ language theory is a cross-strait battleground

Mainland Chinese academics are countering the hypothesis that the island was the ancestral homeland of the Austronesian peoples.

12 Feb 2025 - 7:08PMvideocam

The Austronesians are a group of ethnic communities spread across a vast region of the world – including Taiwan. Photo: Shutterstock

Pacific nations

Palau seeks US missile system citing ‘direct threat’ from China ICBM test

President Whipps said he and incoming US leader Trump are ‘very much in agreement’ regarding the Pacific island nation’s security.

14 Nov 2024 - 12:30PMvideocam

Asia travel

How the rangers of Palau’s Helen Reef keep the poachers at bay

Helen Reef, in Palau, has its own dedicated guard force, deterring poachers and protecting its incredible variety of life.

21 Oct 2024 - 5:15PM

US-China relations

As No 2 US envoy ends Pacific tour, Beijing scores a diplomatic win on Taiwan

After Beijing envoy demands ‘correction’, Pacific Islands Forum scraps Taiwan reference from its annual summit’s final communique.

1 Sep 2024 - 12:39AMvideocam

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell (left) attends a ceremony in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on Thursday to repatriate sacred human relics seized in New York by the FBI in 2016. Campbell also attended the opening of America’s new embassy in the Pacific nation. Photo: Reuters

Profile

Environmentalist Doug Woodring on connecting people to solve problems

A self-styled ‘translator between communities’, the founder of Ocean Recovery Alliance talks about being the first among his friends to visit Asia and why his background in business is pivotal to his plastic-reduction efforts

30 Jul 2024 - 3:06PM

Japan

Japan talks with Pacific islands focus on climate, security issues take back seat

Among the areas of concern highlighted by Pacific island nations was Japan’s release of treated radioactive water.

20 Jul 2024 - 1:45PMvideocam

Japan

As China’s sway over Pacific islands grows, will Japan counter by aiding Palau?

Analysts think Tokyo will answer the island nation’s appeal for help monitoring Chinese vessels, as it has done so with others in the region.

17 Jul 2024 - 3:38PMvideocam

Chinese research ships have repeatedly been sighted operating in marine zones claimed by Palau. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong society

Explainer | What to know about overseas hikes after Hongkonger dies on Japan’s Mount Fuji

After death of civil servant, 58, the Post answers key questions about some popular destinations and what precautions to take.

11 Jul 2024 - 8:52AMvideocam

Hikers at the newly built gate at Mount Fuji’s “5th station”, which leads to the popular Yoshida Trail. Photo: AFP

Ukraine war

Russia upgraded to ‘high-income country’ as war-driven economy grows

The country’s GDP grew 3.6 per cent last year amid demand for military goods and services.

3 Jul 2024 - 2:45PMvideocam

Middle East

Video shows Houthis attack cargo ship with sea drone seemingly disguised as a fishing boat

New footage circulating on social media appears to show the moments leading up to last week’s attack on the M/V Tutor in the Red Sea.

18 Jun 2024 - 4:57PM

Israel-Gaza war

My Take | International court prosecutor rises to historic occasion

In applying for arrest warrants for top leaders of Israel and Hamas, Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court has stood up for global justice and international law against the manipulated so-called rules-based order.

21 May 2024 - 9:00PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 24, 2023. Photo: AP

Australia

My Take | Playing defence Mini-Me for the US will cost Australia dearly

The complaint by Canberra about the latest Chinese military flare-up close to China’s coast is not only hypocritical but highly escalatory.

10 May 2024 - 9:00PM

A Seahawk helicopter prepares to take off from the deck of HMAS Hobart during flying operations while on a regional presence deployment off northern Australia. Photo: AP

Pacific nations

Solomon Islands ‘locks in’ China ties with another pro-Beijing prime minister

New prime minister Jeremiah Manele is expected to apply a “lighter touch” to ties with Beijing given the demand for greater transparency.

3 May 2024 - 11:12PMvideocam

Pacific nations

‘Calling for change’: will Solomon Islands lean closer to China after its polls?

Geopolitics looms large over the polls in Solomon Islands, where Beijing and Washington have been vying for influence for years. But for voters just struggling to make ends meet, Wednesday’s election may be decided by issues much closer to home.

17 Apr 2024 - 10:49AMvideocam

Asia travel

Natural wonders: a deep dive into Taiwan’s Green Island and Liuqiu Island

Taiwan’s southern islands are less touristy and offer natural beauty, easily accessible snorkelling and diving, one of the world’s three saltwater hot springs and a laid-back atmosphere.

9 Apr 2024 - 7:57AM

Scuba divers emerge from the waters of Taiwan’s southern Green Island. It and another southern island, Liuqiu, are less touristy and offer easily accessible snorkelling and diving among corals, and a laid-back atmosphere. Photo: Pete Ford

US-China relations

A US governor in the Pacific plans ‘lonely’ pivot away from China

Long tied to Beijing for tourism and gambling income, Northern Mariana Islands needs more aid from Washington, says governor.

28 Mar 2024 - 10:41AMvideocam

Tourism

Palau luxury cruise, for dazzling coral, white sand beaches, and war relics

The coral islands of Palau in the western Pacific are best visited by boat, and catamaran Four Seasons Explorer offers a new option for visitors to a nation with conservation in its constitution.

25 Mar 2024 - 6:31PMvideocam

Tourism

From The Louvre to New York, 10 places to see dazzling ceiling art

Yes, there’s the Sistine Chapel at The Vatican, but there’s more dazzling ceiling art to admire elsewhere, from Edinburgh to Kathmandu, in churches, a temple, a monastery, a mosque, a mansion and a museum.

24 Mar 2024 - 6:15PM

Some of the finest art in the world is above our heads, so next time you are in the lavish Apollo Gallery at The Louvre in Paris (above), do look up. The same goes for other dazzling examples of ceiling art around the world we’ve picked out. Photo: Ronan O’Connell

Pacific nations

Warily eyeing China’s influence, US talks up US$7.1 billion in Pacific aid

Leaders in the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau had warned that delays could have forced their governments to cut services, and swayed public opinion towards offers of investment from China.

20 Mar 2024 - 3:53PMvideocam

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets (from left) Marshall Islands Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Jack Ading, Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jnr and Micronesia’s President Wesley Simina (right) in September last year. Photo: AP

US-China relations

US knew Nauru might cut ties to Taiwan before it did, official says

Daniel Kritenbrink, an assistant secretary of state, tells Senate hearing ‘we had known for some time [of Nauru’s concerns] … in this instance, they decided to flip’.

15 Mar 2024 - 7:59AM

Japan

Japan may be making its biggest security move in the Pacific Islands since WWII

Talks on March 19 are expected to involve Japan’s Self-Defence Forces and police taking part in local and regional responses as well as training.

13 Mar 2024 - 2:22PM

Pacific nations

US Senate passes funds for Pacific island nations after congressional delays

Deals for Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau, intended to counter China’s influence in the region, win passage as part of appropriations package.

9 Mar 2024 - 9:12AMvideocam

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (centre right) with, from left, Marshall Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Jack Ading, Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jnr and Micronesia’s President Wesley Simina, on September 26, 2023, in Washington. The Senate has approved a bill renewing Compacts of Free Association with the three island nations. Photo: AP

Pacific nations

House Republicans add Pacific nations deals to bill ‘countering Communist China’

A federal budget impasse has hindered funding for the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau as Beijing deepens ties in the strategically vital region.

1 Mar 2024 - 8:04AMvideocam

US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, speaks during a news conference with House Republican leadership in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Israel-Gaza war

Houthis to step up Red Sea strikes, use ‘submarine weapons’, leader says

The Iran-backed militants also sent shippers and insurers formal notice of a ‘ban’ on vessels linked to Israel, the US and the UK from sailing in surrounding seas.

23 Feb 2024 - 2:56AMvideocam

Pacific nations

US’ funding deadlock may pave the way for more Chinese influence in the Pacific

The lack of urgency is causing alarm inside the United States among those hyper-aware of the speed at which China may step in while Congress dawdles over a small sum of money by aid standards.

21 Feb 2024 - 7:38PM

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