INTERVIEW/Palau President Whipps says Taiwanese 'deserve a voice' at U.N.

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. said on Tuesday that Taiwanese "deserve to have a voice" at the United Nations and encouraged Taiwanese private enterprises to invest in Palau.

Whipps, who has clinched another term in office, told CNA in a video interview that he felt Taiwan's participation in international organizations including the U.N. "can only make the world a better place."

"The 23 million people in Taiwan deserve to have a voice," he said.

Also read: Taiwan congratulates Palau President Whipps on reelection

In the exclusive interview with CNA, Whipps also talked about his "strong relationship" with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Chinese economic pressure, and Palau's relationship with the United States.

"We want Taiwanese investment in Palau," Whipps said, adding that he attended the World Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce (WTCC) annual meeting and met President Lai in Kaohsiung in September.

"We look at Palau as a small island with potential in certain sectors," said the Palauan president who has led the Micronesian island nation since 2021.

"And we want to partner with our friends from Taiwan, especially Taiwanese businesses, that want to come and ... look at those opportunities," he added.

Noting that Lai had visited Palau as vice president, Whipps said he expected to have another conversation with Taiwan's leader soon.

"I swam with him, so I know him very well," Whipps said of Lai. "He took me shrimp farming when I went to his inauguration. So we're looking forward to conversing and continuing to build on the strong relationship."

Asked about recent Chinese economic pressure on his country, Whipps noted that Palau had been "working hard" to diversify its economy to ensure "economic resilience" amid a decline in the number of Chinese tourists orchestrated by Beijing.

"Palau is a sovereign country, and we have a right to choose who our friends are," said Whipps, citing the fact that Taiwan is self-governing and has the "same values" as reasons Palau has chosen to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Palau is one of the 12 countries worldwide that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Whipps, who won a second four-year term as president in an election held on Nov. 5, said he had not received "any message" from Beijing since then.

"I can tell you that before the election, there was a Chinese vessel within our EEZ," Whipps said, referring to the Exclusive Economic Zone specified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"As of today, there's another one that's in our EEZ. That's a research vessel that shouldn't be in our EEZ, because they need permission. So that's the only communication I had with China," he added.

Speaking about U.S. Republican Party candidate Donald Trump's victory in the American presidential election on Nov. 5, Whipps told CNA that Palau's relationship with Washington "remains firm."

Whipps said that both Democrats and Republicans "understand the importance of Pacific relations," while expressing an interest in opening a dialogue with President-elect Trump to address climate change.

He also applauded American businessman Elon Musk's "incredible work," especially in the field of electric vehicles, which he said was the kind of technology needed to "help solve our climate problems."