China, US, Solomon Islands tensions over recent protests

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China, US, Solomon Islands tensions over recent protests

This may include advertisements from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. The recent anti-government riots in the Soloman Islands have claimed at least three lives and buildings were burnt down and shops were looted. The protests in the past week have prompted concerns about the rivalry between Beijing and Washington.

Many protesters were from Malaita province who opposed the switch by the Solomon Islands to recognise China instead of Taiwan in 2019. Malaita's premier, Daniel Suidani, has banned Chinese companies from the province while accepting development aid from the US. Washington has been alarmed by China's efforts to win over Taiwan's friends. The Solomon Islands and Kiribati were the last countries to cut ties with Taiwan in September 2019.

This left Chinese-claimed Taiwan with formal diplomatic ties to just 15 countries. The recent Soloman Islands protests have caused a lot of worry among leaders of other Pacific island nations that rivalry between China, Taiwan and the United States could cause serious social and economic problems, according to the recent Soloman Islands protests. The Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Meg Taylor said at a conference in the Solomons: "I think what is happening in the Solomons is something we all should be paying attention to because it can happen at any time." Ms Taylor said resource exploitation, uneven wealth distribution and unfair treatment of locals versus foreigners were all factors behind the unrest in the Solomon Islands. READ MORE: MI 6 boss warns of China's cyber threat.

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