A no-confidence vote in the provincial legislature resulted in the ouster of Daniel Suidani, a vociferous critic of China and the leader of the Solomon Islands’ largest province, according to ABC, an Australian news outlet. Reports from ABC indicate that lawmakers brought the vote after Suidani, leader of Malaita province in the Pacific Islands nation, was accused of embezzling public monies. Some of his backers assembled in the province capital of Auki right before the vote, but they were quickly dispersed by riot police.
According to ABC, 17 assembly members voted against Suidani, who was absent from the meeting, and he was subsequently defeated. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s 2019 decision to swap diplomatic allegiance to China from Taiwan has been roundly criticized by Suidani. During the COVID-19 epidemic, he publicly celebrated the arrival of Taiwanese aid consignments in Malaita, even though this aid had not been authorized by Sogavare’s government. Suidani’s unwavering support for Taipei put him at odds with Sogavare and the Solomon Islands’ official One China stance, which escalated into a public feud between the two men. In 2021, turmoil in Honiara, on the neighboring island of Guadalcanal, was stoked by Malaitans’ displeasure with the central government’s treatment of Malaita and the Solomon Islands’ policy toward Beijing.
At least three individuals were killed as rioters attacked buildings and shops in the Chinatown section of the capital city, and peace was only restored with the help of Australian police. Concerns were voiced in Australia and internationally after it was revealed in April 2018 that Sogavare had inked a security contract with China. In response to China’s expanding influence, the United States has increased its efforts in the Pacific. The US reopened its embassy in Honiara last month. In 1993, it decided to end its mission.
