Taiwan says people with Chinese accents photographed guests at a diplomatic reception in Palau, a sign that Beijing's pressure on Taiwan's few remaining allies is getting more open and more personal.

• Taiwan's foreign minister Lin Chia-lung led a delegation to Palau for the Pacific Islands Forum summit and hosted a "Taiwan Night" social event.
• Young Taiwanese delegates said unidentified people speaking with Chinese accents circled the venue, taking photos and noting who attended.
• Before the summit, Chinese officials had warned publicly that Taiwan's participation would have "consequences" and issued a travel warning against Palau.
• Taipei calls this turning ordinary people-to-people contact into a weapon — using tourism money and intimidation to make countries think twice about befriending Taiwan.
• Palau is one of Taiwan's dwindling number of formal diplomatic partners, which makes the Pacific a front line in the fight for recognition.

Outlook: Expect China to keep leaning on Pacific island states with tourism and economic pressure, while Taiwan answers by showing up at more regional events, not fewer.