This is CBSI on the world.

I'm John Bachelor with Cleo Pascal, my colleague, a non-resident senior fellow of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy,

writing most recently about her attendance of an inauguration, a critical inauguration,

if you're understanding the defense of all the whole of the Pacific and

Indo-Pacific from an aggressive PLA Navy.

This is the island of Palau that held an election at the end of 24, and the inauguration just

took place, and Cleo attended it.

What is striking about who was there and who was not there.

Why is Palau important, Cleo?

So Palau is a country of about 20,000 people. It's in free association with the U.S.

It recognizes Taiwan. It's one of the three remaining Pacific Island countries that recognizes Taiwan.

And it shares just to give a sense of geography,

it shares a maritime border to the west with the Philippines and to the south with Indonesia.

For people who know their World War II history, this is the Battle of Pelaloo. It's that area.

The interesting thing about the inauguration was that the president who won re-election has been very clear in his support for Taiwan.

And Taiwan has been very helpful with them in a range of ways, including, for example, helping them deal with some of the Chinese organized crime that's trying to undermine their country from the inside.

So while we were there, there was a bust of some Chinese organized crime activity, and computers

and cell phones were seized. And they were sent to Taiwan, not the U.S., but to Taiwan for analysis

because they not only have the technical capability, but they can do the language

much easier. And I suspect they also know some of the networks. So Taiwan has been very supportive

in trying to help pull out, handle some of the many, many problems that are coming towards it

from China. But this is a really complex diplomatic issue. People don't want to be seen

...