TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A pro-Taiwan Solomon Islands politician lost his job for failing to recognize the government’s "one-China policy," a letter released Thursday (April 6) has revealed.
Daniel Suidani was removed from his role as premier of the country’s Malaita Province on Feb. 7, after 17 provincial assembly members unanimously passed a vote of no-confidence against him. A long-time critic of his country’s relationship with China, Sudiani previously called for his province to declare independence, following the country’s diplomatic switch from Taiwan to China in 2021.
#SolomonIslands gov letter to former Malaita premier #Suidani disqualifying him from his elected Assembly seat. Reasons include "ongoing failure to recognize the One China Policy" & "collusion with Chinese Taipei". Will be legally challenged. Suidani's reply to allegations below. pic.twitter.com/yWyUioM7fr
— Cleo Paskal (@CleoPaskal) April 6, 2023
In the letter dated March 20, the country’s minister responsible for provincial governance wrote “it is common knowledge” that Suidani has “colluded with Chinese Taipei in defiance of … the National Government to recognize the ‘One-China Policy.’” The letter was posted by Indo-Pacific researcher Cleo Pascal, who posted an apparent message from Suidani’s camp that labeled the allegations a “witch hunt,” and said the disqualification will be legally challenged.
The letter justifies Suidani's dismissal by referring to the country's provincial governance laws, and states provincial premiers must "always abide by the decisions of the national government."
Leaders in Fiji, also in the Pacific, have likewise moved to give Taiwan more formal recognition, allowing the local trade office to resume using the name “Republic of China” and reinstating Taiwan’s diplomatic privileges. Despite these political disagreements over recognition of Taiwan or China, Lowy Institute Pacific Islands Program Research Fellow Mihai Sora told Taiwan News that they do not represent a regional trend.
“Pacific countries don’t act as a bloc with respect to their international relations and generally tend to respect each other’s decisions without making public commentary,” Sora said. “Ultimately, the main priority for all Pacific countries is responding to climate change and economic recovery, rather than actively engaging in geopolitical jostling.”
Immediately following Suidani's ousting, Sora noted that tensions between Suidani and the Solomon Islands’ national government go back many years, and precede the Tawian-China diplomatic switch, but that the diplomatic recognition of China has exacerbated issues. He said the vote of no-confidence removes a “vocal critic” of the current prime minister, but may also increase internal divisions in the country, according to Loop PNG.
The Solomon Islands’ increasingly close relationship with China has put what are often considered “traditional” regional powers in the Pacific on high alert, following the 2022 signing of a bilateral security agreement with China, that could allow for the deployment of Chinese troops to the island country. Following the agreement, the Australian government said it was “deeply disappointed” and “concerned,” while New Zealand called it “unwelcome and unnessecary.”
The U.S reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands on Feb. 2, after having closed it 20 years earlier. The move was described by U.S. officials as in the interests of countering Chinese influence in the region, per AP.
