Solomon Islands sets up task force to consider switching Taiwan ties to Beijing
- The Pacific island nation has recognised self-ruled Taiwan since 1983 but would be a prized chip for China
- After an aggressive push over the past decade, China has become the largest two-way provider of funding in the Pacific
“There’s a certain thinking with the current government and executive to switch,” said Peter Kenilorea, an opposition lawmaker who chairs a foreign relations parliamentary committee. “The amount of money that has already been spent by the government on this is quite telling.”
A task force charged with evaluating the Taiwan ties returned from a tour of Pacific nations allied to China just before a mid-August visit to Beijing by eight Solomons ministers and the prime minister’s private secretary.
“It doesn’t take much imagination to work out what the task force will recommend,” added Kenilorea, whose panel will review the recommendations.
The task force, set up by new Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare after a general election in April, could present its recommendations as early as this week, parliament schedules show.
The government has said the ministerial group only visited Beijing.
Both the task force and panel of ministers were clearly leaning towards Beijing, said a government lawmaker who declined to be named, but did not rule out the possibility of a surprise.