As China and the United States feuded at the United Nations last week over COVID-19 and the climate, one of the world's smallest states pleaded for detente.
"Micronesia asks our American and Chinese friends to reinforce their cooperation and friendship with each other ... to achieve what is best for our global community," Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo told the U.N. General Assembly in a video address.
Micronesia — with a population of about 113,000 — and its Pacific Island neighbors have long been stuck in a diplomatic tug-of-war between the world's biggest economic powers as China takes on U.S. influence in a region Washington has considered its backyard since World War II.