Micronesia takes on China

FOR THE annals of great-power competition in the Pacific, the letter from David Panuelo that leaked on March 10th is a keeper. Addressing his country’s Congress and state governors, Micronesia’s outgoing president describes in engrossing detail Chinese efforts to bully and bribe politicians into toeing a pro-China line. Mr Panuelo accuses China of waging “political warfare” against his country. To mitigate the damage this is doing, he recommends Micronesia switch diplomatic recognition to Taiwan. He claims to have secured a promise of $50m from Taiwan, plus annual payments of $15m, to plug the fiscal hole that shunning China would create.