Palau, which lies about 1,000km east of the Philippines, is one of the few places on Earth never to have recorded a COVID-19 case.It is one of only 15 nations worldwide to offer Taipei diplomatic recognition in the face of China's long-standing claim that Taiwan is part of its territory.Taiwanese visitors must undergo pre-flight coronavirus checks, they can travel only in tour groups and are barred from making individual excursions.
Taiwan - population 23 million - has been hailed as an example in containing the virus, with fewer than 1,020 confirmed cases and 10 deaths.Whipps has acknowledged no system is foolproof but said Taiwanese health authorities had calculated that the chance of COVID-19 reaching Palau via the travel bubble was one in four million.
Beijing has poached seven of Taiwan's diplomatic allies while ramping up military and economic pressure since Tsai's 2016 election win because she rejects its stance that Taiwan is part of China.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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