In a leaked letter addressing his country’s Congress and state governors, Micronesia’s outgoing president describes in engrossing detail Chinese efforts to bully and bribe politicians into toeing a pro-China line
China’s shameless methods for holding sway among small Pacific island states are no secret. Yet the level of detail Mr Panuelo provides is remarkable—and surely deeply embarrassing for China. “We are bribed to be complicit, and bribed to be silent,” he writes. He describes Chinese envelopes of cash and offers of trips by private plane to curry favour among politicians and administrators who “advance their personal interest in lieu of the national interest”.
China, prickly over perceived slights, even from a nation of just 113,000, called the letter “smears and accusations”. But it will struggle to dismiss it. Mr Panuelo has consistently warned of the risks when engaging with China. He published another letter to Pacific island leaders last May, urging them to resist China’s pressure to join a “common development vision” that would amount to a new geopolitical bloc. They duly rejected it.
That would imply a dramatic loss of sovereignty. Indeed, a loss of agency is the predicted fate for tiny Pacific states in the face of a great-power struggle between America and China. Yet Mr Panuelo’s response suggests that is far from inevitable.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
China sought control of telecoms to spy on MicronesiaOutgoing president alleges Beijing is systematically bullying strategically located island paradise
Lire la suite »
Aukus submarine deal: Is conflict with China getting closer?Beijing has reacted with anger to the details of a UK, US and Australia defence pact known as Aukus.
Lire la suite »
Honduras moves to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in pivot to China\n\t\t\tKeep abreast of significant corporate, financial and political developments around the world.\n\t\t\tStay informed and spot emerging risks and opportunities with independent global reporting, expert\n\t\t\tcommentary and analysis you can trust.\n\t\t
Lire la suite »
China’s retail sales point to uneven recovery after end of Covid curbs\n\t\t\tKeep abreast of significant corporate, financial and political developments around the world.\n\t\t\tStay informed and spot emerging risks and opportunities with independent global reporting, expert\n\t\t\tcommentary and analysis you can trust.\n\t\t
Lire la suite »
Jiang Yanyong: Whistleblower doctor who exposed China's Sars cover-up diesJiang Yanyong became a national hero after revealing Beijing was covering up the scale of the virus.
Lire la suite »
China debuts bonkers hybrid electric trolley-truckMutant offspring of a semi and a trolleybus suggested as emission-cutting future of commercial transport
Lire la suite »