TAIPEI—The president of the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru promised on Dec. 13 to always stand beside Taiwan as their hearts are “linked as one,” as he visited Taipei amid a growing tussle for influence in the region between Beijing and Washington.
While the Pacific states are small developing nations, they lie in highly strategic waters dominated by the United States and its allies since World War Two. China’s moves to expand its footprint there have alerted Washington.
