TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Surangel Whipps Jr. of Taiwan ally Palau accused China of interfering for refusing a visit by a travel industry delegation to Macau and for cyberattacks in a media interview published Tuesday (July 16). 

The incidents showed that Beijing was taking its actions against the Pacific island nation to a new level, Whipps told Nikkei Asia. A delegation from Palau wanted to attend an international travel industry conference in Macau in May but was refused visas because of the country’s diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The president also said that two waves of cyberattacks were mostly related to China. In March, thousands of government documents were stolen and released on the dark web, with an investigation tracing the suspects back to China, according to Whipps.

Whipps said a second attack in July targeted Palau’s customs and border protection system, probably to try and disrupt the country’s important tourism industry. The second cyber incident could not be confirmed as coming from China, but in both instances, ransomware was involved.

The July attack failed because other nations, including the United States, Australia, Japan, and Taiwan had helped Palau upgrade its electronic systems, according to Whipps.

Palau will have presidential and legislative elections in November, with Whipps likely to stand for a second term.