Compact of Free Association

So successive colonial powers, Spain, Germany, and Japan, ruled Palau before the archipelago came under US administration as a United Nations Trust Territory in nineteen forty-seven.

Palau then gained full independence from US trusteeship in nineteen ninety-four and entered into a Compact of Free Association with the US.

In March twenty twenty-four, a renewed compact review agreement entered into force, committing eight hundred and eighty-nine million dollars in US grants and trust fund contributions to Palau over twenty years for education, health, the environment, administration of justice, public safety, and audits.

Okay, now let's get into how Palau is pushing back against China.

On a visit after the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting, Mr Landau surveyed the recovery efforts following Typhoon Sinlaku's damage in Chook State.

He announced the U.S. intends to provide over 100 million U.S. dollars to support disaster relief and reconstruction in FSM, delivering on commitments under the Compact of Free Association.

Mr. Landau also visited the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.

A survey of students in the Pacific has found around half were bullied last year.

A key strategic location in what's known as the second island chain Palau was once the site of World War II's bloodiest Pacific battle.

Now, Palau is one of only 12 nations that diplomatically recognize Taiwan, and one of only three with the unique relationships with the United States known as the Compact of Free Association.

Because of our location, we're always going to be the center of interest.

We were always a bullseye.

That would destroy the beautiful, pristine environment that we have.

I think that goes back to we want partners that understand the value that we have, share the same values that we have, and want to develop in the right way.

One of the things that comes with the compact of free association is guarantee of defense.

And one of the things that came out from my conversations is that there's different understandings of what that actually means among perhaps even yourself or the Americans and so forth.

So it finally had control over its own future, but not complete in the sense that there still is a connection to the United States.

Through the Compact of Free Association, the United States provides military defense for Palau and has military installations.

And also, there are other connections.

You can use the mail.

And how is this just coming out in 2026? Because an enterprising reporter at the Daily Caller News Foundation, which has so many fewer resources than all of the corporate media outlets do.

How is this just coming out here? Several years after receiving the honorary appointments, Lin Shiki writes, Chao and her father were identified as advisors of the subsequent council of COFA's Jiding branch.

The fourth council of COFA's Jiding branch ran between, and by the way here, that's the COFA, I just wanna make sure that we're all clear on that acronym, it's Chinese Overseas Friendship Association.

The fourth council of COFA's Jiding branch ran between September, 2012 and 2017, and likewise partially overlapped with Chao's DOT tenure.

according to DCNF translations of state media and Chinese government reports.

Now, her sister was later identified as a director of COFA's national organization in 2019, the Daily Caller News Foundation found.

After her DOL tenure, a CCP official also tapped Chao to serve as a Wuhan municipal government international advisor in October 2009, owing to her quote, extensive experience and resources in international affairs and perceived ability to quote, create more, to create quote, more favorable conditions for Wuhan in matters of foreign affairs and attracting overseas talent.

You know, I have to agree with them on that one.

where the liberal establishment refuses to acknowledge the coloniality of these places, the non-sovereignty of these places.

They all have these things called compacts of free association with the U.S. that formally gives the U.S. unfettered military access to these places.

but also gives the U.S. formal veto power over all national security decision-making of these places.

That's fucking colonialism.

The counterpart is constrained.

Most of these agreements give Australia veto power over military-related, national security-related decisions in the counterpart countries.

Again, going back to the Compacts of Free Association and coloniality with the U.S., it's a version of that with Australia in the Pacific, right? And that means that Australia is expanding its own exclusionary sphere of influence in the Pacific.

This is incredibly dangerous, but also chauvinistic.

It became a colony of the US in 1986.

The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau were also part of this trust, but they chose to enter into Compacts of Free Association instead of becoming colonies.

There is a common trait among all of these colonies that I've mentioned throughout, which is being key to military force projection by the United States in the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Bases in each of these colonies are crucial to the US military's logistical ability to deploy throughout the world.

The end result was it divided up into three independent countries in the southern part, so the country of Palau, the country of the Federated States of Micronesia, and the country of the Marshall Islands.

They went independent, but they signed these unique compacts of free association with the U.S., which gives the U.S. the right and the responsibility for their defense.

It also allows the U.S. citizens of these three countries, these three independent countries, to freely live and work in the U.S.

So if you're from Palau, you can get on a plane in Karur, fly to Denver, get off a plane and start a business, go to school at local rates.

But once I saw enough of the patterns developing, I said, okay, now I understand what's going on.

And then I did a book and I did some other stuff as well.

And the reason that it came to the fore recently was because I mentioned the Compacts of Free Association with Palau, Federal States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands.

Some components of it are semi-permanent, although they can be abrogated.