Perceiving China's influence in the Pacific-the case of Solomon Islands

Abstract

In September 2019, the Solomon Islands switched its diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China (ROC, hereinafter referred to as Taiwan) to the People’s Republic of China (PRC, hereinafter referred to as China). This is a blow to Taiwan as the Solomon Islands was the largest among the six Pacific Island countries that maintained official relations with Taiwan before the switch. Now the number is reduced to four as Kiribati followed the Solomon Islands in switching. While much of the debate is on the potential domino effect, a careful reading of the report produced by the Solomon Islands parliamentary bi-partisan task force, a key player appointed by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in June to review the country’s relations with China and Taiwan, and the statement by Sogavare on the switch, reveals a lot about local perceptions of China’s rise and changing geopolitics in the region.