The U.S. State Department has sanctioned officials from the Pacific Island nations of Palau and the Marshall Islands for corruption amid concerns over Chinese influence. Palau and the Marshall Islands, along with the Federated States of Micronesia , make up the Freely Associated States, which rely on U.S. security guarantees and economic assistance in exchange for military access to their territory. These nations sit along the so-called second island chain, which the Pentagon considers central