00:00It looks like Washington is shoring up ties with two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies.
00:05On the sidelines of a meeting with Caribbean leaders,
00:08U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrence Drew.
00:14The U.S. State Department said they talked about strengthening regional security cooperation
00:19and about St. Kitts and Nevis' quote, strong partnership with Taiwan.
00:24It raises questions about why Taiwan was brought up
00:27and why the U.S. specifically chose to publicize this,
00:31but the State Department did not offer any more details.
00:35Taiwan's foreign ministry thanked the U.S. for discussing its relations with St. Kitts and Nevis,
00:40saying that Taiwan continues to partner with the U.S. on projects with its diplomatic allies.
00:45Also this month, Palau's national telecommunications provider announced
00:50it had chosen three American companies to help provide technology
00:54for an upgraded mobile network it's building across the country
00:58to provide faster and more widespread coverage.
01:01The Quad, Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S.,
01:05worked with Palau to launch this project in 2023
01:08and have pledged to invest around 20 million U.S. dollars to support it.
01:13Palau has formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan,
01:16and Taiwan's foreign ministry has said it hasn't ruled out engaging in related projects
01:21in Palau or with other diplomatic allies.
01:24Taiwan currently has 12 formal diplomatic partners,
01:27and China has been pressuring them to switch recognition to Beijing.
01:31One expert says the U.S.'s work with Palau and St. Kitts and Nevis
01:35may be part of a broader strategy to keep these countries from moving towards China.
01:41It could also be trying to prevent China from gaining too much of a foothold
01:44in their regions as a whole.
01:45So in a way, by securing Christopher St. Kitts and Nevis
01:54to continue to be part of Taiwan's diplomatic circle
01:59will help to prevent China from breaking into the Caribbean Ocean,
02:07especially in this area that is closer to the U.S.
02:12So I think that's, it is in the American interest.
02:17Though Washington hasn't specifically said whether China is the aim.
02:21But it comes as the U.S. competes with China for regional influence,
02:26and as Taiwan has seen its diplomatic allies dwindle,
02:30meaning these interactions could be significant.
02:32Ryan Wu and Cadence Caranta for Taiwan Plus.
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