Palau

One possible next step is a free association - something like the US currently has with Pacific states the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.

The rest of the trip will see Lai visit Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, the only Pacific island nations among the 12 countries that recognise Taiwan's independence.

The international team of scientists studied the corals of Palau in the western Pacific Ocean, developing an eco-evolutionary simulation model of coral populations.

Palau, a clump of about 350 small islands in the Pacific Ocean, has become increasingly important to the United States as China tries to build clout in the Indo-Pacific.

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., who faces an election later this year, cautioned in a February letter that was made public that the Chinese Communist Party was seeking to take advantage of the American delay.