Palau’s president has accused China of flouting the Pacific nation’s maritime borders, raising concerns about research vessels lurking “uninvited” within its waters.
“We keep on raising flags and complaining about it, but they keep on sending them,” said President Surangel Whipps Jnr, the pro-US leader re-elected this week.
“They continually don’t respect our sovereignty and our boundaries and just continue to do these activities,” he said from Palau’s commercial centre Koror.
The most recent foray was detected earlier this week, Whipps said on Tuesday evening, one day after claiming victory in presidential elections.
“Once again, Chinese vessels are in our exclusive economic zone uninvited.”
They’re now naming some of our seamounts Chinese names. Why? Why would you do that?
In what appeared to be another deliberate prod, Chinese officials earlier this year bestowed new names on two underwater mountains already claimed by Palau, Whipps added.
