The President of Palau has accused China of encroaching on its economic zone

The President of Palau accused Chinese ships of encroaching on Palau's maritime economic zone, and asked the United States to step up patrols in the area.

According to the Voice of America, the President of the Pacific nation of Palau, Surangel Wipes, had an interview with Reuters news agency during his visit to Tokyo. He said in the interview that Chinese ships had recently invaded Palau's exclusive economic zone. So Palau asked the United States to take action on this issue.

Based on the report, in the period when the conflict between the United States and Beijing in the growing sphere of influence in the Pacific is escalating, the President of Palau has publicly proposed the expansion of the US military force in Palau and called for the stationing of troops near the existing Coast Guard in Palau.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that China is trying to cover up its hostile policy by claiming that Chinese ships entered the region to shelter from sea storms, that they did not carry out any maritime inspections in the region, and that they notified relevant countries in the region.

As Wang Wenbin said: "China has always called for all parties to make more efforts to promote the peaceful development and stability of the Pacific island countries. At the same time, we believe that security cooperation between countries should not be directed at third parties."

Observers have reported that China is trying to bolster its security position in the Pacific, where it signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands last year. China's actions have alarmed many countries such as the United States, Australia and New Zealand.