David Panuelo, the outgoing president of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), a maritime territory comprising 600 islands and islets, accuses China of bribery. He said that Chinese officials’ activities include deploying Chinese research vessels within FSM’s territories, whose actual mission is to spy, map potential resources, and chart submarine routes with the aim of "acquiring control of our nation’s fiber optic cables as well as our ports.”