Prime Minister Rick Hou’s political party has said it will review Solomon Islands relations with Taiwan if elected, raising the possibility of a switch to China.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/03/18
By: Denghua Zhang & Transform Aqorau

The forthcoming national elections in Solomon Islands in April have once again raised

Credit: Taiwan Presidential Office

the issue of diplomatic relations between the Republic of China (hereafter “Taiwan”) and Solomon Islands. Prime Minister Rick Hou’s political party has said it will review Solomon Islands diplomatic relations with Taiwan if elected, raising the potential of a diplomatic switch from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China (hereafter “China”).

The Pacific is the second largest concentration of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will this week embark on a regional visit, highlighting that six (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu) of the 14 Pacific island countries recognize Taiwan. This accounts for more than one-third of Taiwan’s 17 diplomatic allies globally.    [FULL  STORY]