 | |
 China |  Solomon Islands |
|---|---|
| Envoy | |
| His ExcellencyAmbassador Cai Weiming | Ambassador Barrett Salato |
Solomon Islands and thePeople's Republic of China established official diplomatic relations in 2019. Prior to this, Solomon Islands had diplomatic relations withthe Republic of China, otherwise known as Taiwan.
Since December 2023, the ambassador of China to Solomon Islands is Cai Weiming.[1][2] As of 28 December 2023, the ambassador of Solomon Islands to China is Barrett Salato.[3]
Solomon Islands, formerly theBritish Solomon Islands Protectorate, gained its independence in 1978 and became known asSolomon Islands.
Five years later, in 1983, Solomon Islands established diplomatic relations with theRepublic of China (ROC) which it maintained until 2019 when Prime MinisterManasseh Sogavare severed the 36-year relationship with the Taiwanese government and began official recognition and diplomatic relations with thePeople's Republic of China (PRC).[4]The Guardian and national newspaper theSolomon Star reported that Solomon IslandsMPs had claimed both the PRC and ROC had offered hundreds of thousands ofdollars inbribes to them, to influence the politics in their favour.[5][6] A series of demonstrations and violent riots followed the government's decision leading to a 36-hour lockdown in the capital, a number of buildings were burnt down, and the deployment of police.[7][8][9]Deakin University Professor Matthew Clarke deemed the switch an important step for China'sBelt and Road Initiative goals.[4]
In 2006, riots in the Solomon Islands resulted in the destruction of more than 60 Chinese-owned shops and prompted the Chinese government to evacuate 310 Chinese citizens.[10]: 79
In September 2019, Chinese state-ownedconglomerate China Sam Enterprise Group secretly signed a lease agreement with theTulagi provincial government for exclusive rights to the entire island. leaked details of the agreement revealed provisions for a fishery base, operations centre, an airport, and an oil and gas terminal.[11][12] A month later, theSolomon Islands attorney general overturned the agreement, citing trespass on national government powers, the failure of China Sam to register as a foreign investor, and the lack of vital details including a timeline.[12]
In March 2022, China and the Solomon Islands signed a draft security pact that, according to leaked photos, allowsHoniara to ask Beijing to send in law enforcement and military personnel to the Solomon Islands to assist in "maintaining social order" or "protecting people's lives and property".[13][14] The deal also permits Chinese ships to conduct replenish and stopover in the Solomon Islands and to use the "relevant forces of China" to "protect the safety of Chinese personnel and other major projects in Solomon Islands" and to allow for aerial surveillance of thePacific islands andAustralia.[15][unreliable source?][better source needed]
The government of the Solomon Islands announced the agreement was part of an effort to "respond to Solomon Islands' soft and hard domestic threats" as part of the nation's national security strategy, referring to the violent2021 Solomon Islands unrest over the Prime Minister's decision to switch recognition from the ROC to the PRC.[9] TheAustralian government, being both a neighbour of the Solomon Islands and a strategic rival to China, voiced great concern over this development.[16] Particularly, Australia and some of its allies including New Zealand were concerned that this might be the start of permanent Chinese military bases being placed near Australia.[17][18]Australian Prime MinisterScott Morrison said the pact was "a reminder of the constant pressure and threats that present in our region to our own national security".[19] Similar,New Zealand Prime MinisterJacinda Ardern expressed concern that the security pact would lead to the militarisation of the South Pacific.[18] In February 2024,Al Jazeera reported that the New Zealand Government had lobbiedFrench Polynesian andNew Caledonian officials into taking a position on the Chinese—Solomon Islands security pact.[20]
In 2025, Chinese police under theMinistry of Public Security operating in the Solomon Islands began to implement a local pilot program based upon theFengqiao experience.[21]
In May 2022,China's Foreign MinisterWang Yi visited Solomon Islands as his first stop of a ten-nation tour in thePacific. With only select media allowed to cover the event, the Media Association of Solomon Islandsboycotted in protest.[22] Wang's visit, part of an effort to sign a sweeping security and economic agreement with each of the small Pacific nations, was described by Solomon Islands Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jermiah Manele as a "milestone in the relations" between Solomon Islands and PRC.[23][24]
In August 2022, thegovernment of Solomon Islands accepted a $66 million (USD) loan from the People's Republic of China to have Chinese telecommunications giantHuawei construct 161mobile phone towers in Solomon Islands, celebrated as "a historic financial partnership".[25][26] Previously, in 2018, Solomon Islands awarded Huawei a contract to build atelecommunications cable network prompting the Australian government to intervene.[26] The government of Solomon Islands claimed it hoped to repay the loan within 11 years, however this loan and the Chinese issued Tina Hydro Project loan raised the Solomon Islands national debt from 15% of GDP to 30%. A 2019Central Bank of Solomon Islands report prior to the loan warned that the country didn't have the capacity to take further loans from the PRC.[26] In October, Opposition leader Matthew Wale urged the government to scrap the loans and claimed that they were paying for technology that will be obsolete far before the government pays off the loan. Wales also asked the government to publish a report by consulting firmKPMG which highlights Huawei's entitlement to 50% of revenue over ten years.[27]
In August 2022, Solomon Islands turned away aU.S. Coast Guard ship andBritish Royal Navy ship claiming to have placed a moratorium on all foreign military ships pending further review, raising fears that Solomon Islands was turning away from western nations in favour of China.[28]
China offered money for Daniel Suidani's life treatment if he stopped opposing Chinese operations in Malatia. Suidani refused and eventually was treated by Taiwan.[29] Hon. Matthew Wale, leader of the opposition was dismayed by this.[30]
Cleo Paskal of The National Interest reflected that the elections in the Solomon Islands will have major strategic implications in the struggle between the United States and China over influence in the Pacific.[29] According to The National Interest, Solomon Islanders voted for change yet due to Solomon Islands' political structure, politicians sympathetic to China assumed power.[29]
Effective 1 December 2024, China eliminatedtariffs for goods imported from all of the countries that the United Nations categorizes as least developed and with which China has diplomatic relations, including the Solomon Islands.[31]
