Choose Beijing over Taipei, Solomon Islands task force recommends amid changing tides in Pacific
- With China pumping funds into aid and infrastructure projects in the Pacific, island nations are reassessing their ties with Taiwan
But the archipelago is publicly debating switching recognition to China, leaving Taiwan facing the prospect of losing one of its last remaining allies. The move took a step closer to reality on Friday after a Solomon Islands parliamentary task force handed down its widely anticipated recommendation that Honiara “stands to benefit” from establishing formal ties with Beijing.
Since Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, five of the self-governing island’s allies have switched allegiance to China, including three last year alone.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who in July remarked that Taiwan was “completely useless to us”, had previously said the government would make no formal decision until after a review of the task force’s findings – which have yet to be presented to parliament.
Jonathan Pryke, director of the Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands Programme, said the task force’s recommendation did not come as a surprise. “Ultimately, the decision has to be made by the parliament,” he said.
The timeline for such a resolution is unclear. While the Solomons’ opposition leader Matthew Wale reportedly said an outcome might be reached by November, former prime minister and current Minister for National Planning and Aid Coordination Rick Houenipwela last month told Radio New Zealand a vote in parliament would not happen at all this year.
