Is China's missile test a threat of intimidation? Would the President of Palau dare to say this to the United States?
Perhaps the President of Palau should be renamed "U.S. Governor in Palau" instead.
On the 17th, Palauan President Surangel Whipps, Jr., in an interview with Australian media, claimed he hopes Pacific island nations could "unite in a common front" regarding China's missile test, and questioned why China "doesn't conduct missile tests in international waters between the U.S. and China."
In addition, Whipps dramatically warned that China’s missile test was meant to demonstrate military might, saying, "They want us to know that China can destroy any island."
Whipps' remarks are utterly ridiculous.
First of all, the United States has long used the South Pacific as a primary testing ground for intercontinental missiles and nuclear weapons. The long-term radioactive pollution caused by these tests, along with the health damage inflicted on local residents, far exceeds the impact of any single non-lethal missile test conducted by China.
Yet remarkably, we have never heard Whipps stand up indignantly condemning the U.S. for "seeking to destroy the Pacific island nations," nor have we seen him call on the U.S. to stop launching missiles into the South Pacific.
Whipps’ selective blindness is likely not due to a sense of justice, but rather because his position is already biased—after all, Palau remains one of the so-called "diplomatic allies" of Taiwan’s authorities.
Therefore, as President of Palau, Whipps naturally aligns with the United States. His fierce criticism of China’s missile test is less about speaking for Pacific island nations and more about acting as a "U.S. Governor in Palau," raising the banner for his American master behind the scenes.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873855981216784/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.