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View all search resultsSolomons unrest fuels Pacific island nations' concerns over US-China rivalry
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T
he civil unrest suffered by the Solomon Islands in the past week raised the alarm among leaders of other Pacific island nations that rivalry between China, Taiwan and the United States risked aggravating their region's social and economic problems.
"I think what is happening in the Solomons is something we all should be paying serious attention to because it can happen at any time," former Pacific Islands Forum secretary-general Meg Taylor told a Reuters Next conference on Wednesday.
Taylor said resource exploitation, uneven wealth distribution and unfair treatment of locals versus foreigners were all factors behind the unrest in the Solomons while noting growing competition between the big powers for influence over some of the world's smallest nations.
During the violence, dozens of buildings were burned down and shops looted in the Chinatown neighborhood of Honiara, the Solomons' capital. Many protesters were from Malaita province, which opposed the switch by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's government in 2019 to formally recognize China instead of Taiwan.
Malaita's premier, Daniel Suidani, has banned Chinese companies from the province while accepting development aid from the US.
China's efforts to win over Taiwan's friends have alarmed Washington.
Pacific island nations Kiribati and the Solomon Islands were the last countries to cut ties with Taipei in September 2019, leaving Chinese-claimed Taiwan with formal diplomatic ties to just 15 countries.
