"Peace unravels in the Solomon Islands" by Anna Powles and Jose Luis Sousa-Santos on the current situation in the Solomon Islands:
“Strategic competition may have been a spark behind the riots but it was also a pawn. China, Taiwan and the United States have jostled for influence in Malaita since Solomon Islands switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019. Malaita’s popular Premier, Daniel Suidani, opposed the switch and has leveraged Taiwan’s eagerness to retain a foothold in Solomon Islands leading to accusations by the national government that Malaita is in breach of the one China policy….Sogavare has also used geopolitics as a gambit. Seeking to divert attention away from the domestic drivers of the unrest, he blamed foreign powers for influencing Malaitan discontent. While attributing the unrest in the Solomon Islands solely to geopolitical maneuvering is simplistic, it provides a warning of how strategic competition can undermine resilience and contribute to fragility.”

Read the full article here: https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2021/11/30/peace-unravels-in-the-solomon-islands/?fbclid=IwAR3IYtQ-73l8onCH0rdAiCzGgR1UkZ8X_5LROH7mjaG_4YvhJ1LJmKAHbfw