Palau is under attack from PRC

There is a spike in activity now because China sees Palau's 5 November election as an opportunit to put in place representatives that are more in line with its ambitions.

- CLEO PASKAL

y PALAU/WASHINGTON, DC P alau is under attack.

The incursions are long-running, broad, and persistent—and so pervasive they have almost become normalized for Palauans. Why is Palau, a country of around 20,000 people east of the Philip pines, under attack? Because China's People Liberation Army (PLA) studied the World War II battle map and understands its strategic location.

Currently Palau recognizes Taiwan. It also has a Compact of Free Association with the United States that means the U.S. has the responsibility to protect the country. These are problems for Beijing. And so it has spent years directing political warfare attacks in and against-the country.

There is a spike in activity now because China sees Palau's 5 November election as an opportunity to put in place representatives that are more in line with its ambitions, or at least weaken institutional integrity so that the systems are less able to resist China's influence operations.

Palau is not unusual in being such a target, but because of the small population, the methods and effects of the PRC attacks are unusually visible, and so worth attention by all countries that might be similarly targeted. And want to resist. Some examples.

ECONOMIC COERCION China plays push-pull with its tourists to Palau-a country that depends substantially on tourism-creating deliberate economic instability when it can't create dependence.

In 2008, there were 634 Chinese tourists in Palau, less than 1% of all tourists.

By 2015, there were more than 91,000, or around 54%-something not possible without direction from Beijing. In November 2017, Chinese tour operators were ordered to stop selling packages. Tourism dried up.

Why did they do it? To put pressure on Palau to de-recognize Taiwan. And that pressure continues.