Palau, escaping Trump tariffs, says strong US good for Pacific


FILE PHOTO: President of Palau, Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr., delivers a statement during the United Nations climate change conference COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan November 19, 2024 REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The president of the tiny Pacific Islands nation of Palau, one of the few countries to escape U.S. tariffs, said he remains "positive" the Trump Administration will keep a strong focus on the region and not permanently retreat.

Palau, with a population of 17,000, has a compact of free association with the United States providing economic assistance in return for allowing the U.S. military access to its territory. It received USAID funding for submarine cables and climate change programmes, before most U.S. Agency for International Development staff globally were put on leave.

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