Failed Palau media deal reveals China’s Pacific influence efforts

News Snapshot:

For years, Moses Uludong has been a lonely voice pushing the small, strategically located Pacific island nation of Palau towards closer relations with China. Uludong founded Palau's first newspaper, Tia Belau, more than five decades ago, back when the archipelago was under US administration. Now, as tensions rise between China and the West, Uludong thinks Palau could be devastated if war breaks out between the two powers. The nation of 18,000 people became independent in 1994, but is still a close US ally and one of only 13 countries worldwide to defy China by recognising Taiwan diplomatically. So, in 2018,...