The Republic of Palau, located in the Micronesia region and home to about 20,000 residents, is a strong ally of the U.S. in the region, where China has achieved significant successes. However, it has also suffered from cuts in U.S. international aid, including ocean monitoring programs. The President of Palau warns that a policy of isolationism, which the United States is adopting, threatens their influence before China on the world stage.
The President of one of the Palau islands, which is under threat from climate change, called on U.S. President Donald Trump to undertake a joint understanding of 'slow death' caused by climate change. 'I think it would be good to go together for a retreat and contemplate,' he noted, expressing hope for dialogue with Trump on a financial basis.
The Palau archipelago, which includes about 340 islands of the Philippines, is under serious threat from rising sea levels, and some coral islands of the country may disappear in the coming years. The President of Palau warns that 'the threat concerns us all' and urges Trump 'to think about his children and grandchildren.'
Earlier, Trump referred to climate change as a hoax, twice withdrawing Washington from the Paris Agreement and precluding U.S. participation in future climate research. 'It seems that everyone is reconsidering their cards, their nations, that what's best for them,' notes the President of Palau.