By: Bernadette Carreon
Last Friday, the U.S. Department of State announced that Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met with Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. to discuss the close ties between the two countries.
The press release from the US State Department said the meeting discussed “multiple areas of cooperation, including opportunities for economic development and investment, defense cooperation, respect for national sovereignty and borders, and enhancing law enforcement and counter-drug efforts.”
While details of the meeting have yet to be revealed, the press release said that the “Department of State is working with the Department of the Interior to support Palau with necessary fiscal reforms, and as a great friend to Palau, looks forward to deepening government and private sector engagement to ensure economic security and stability. “
With this, President Whipps’ Facebook official page last week stated that it has also met with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to discuss several “pressing” Palau issues, which include pension reform,
The president and his delegation are also expected to discuss China’s increasing “influence and economic coercion in Palau, particularly through tourism and control over communications networks.”
The president also raised the issue of the rising drug use and trafficking problem in Palau, which requires “urgent assistance and intervention as part of the broader socio-economic support framework.”
In President Whipps’ proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026, for the establishment of the Drug Fine Collection Fund.
The fund, according to the budget bill, will be created by the Finance Ministry and will be maintained separate from other funds and will be maintained to supplement operations of the Bureau of Public Safety and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, relating to efforts to reduce illegal drug trafficking.”
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, synthetic drugs, particularly crystal methamphetamine, are increasingly entering the country.
Palau has lately been seeing a rise in drug charges against Chinese nationals, raising the alarm of increased transnational crime activities on the island.