US, China focus in Solomon Islands has little effect on residents

Stephen Wright
2022.12.02
Honiara, Solomon Islands
001(1).JPG

China’s embassy to the Solomon Islands is one of the largest buildings in the capital Honiara, Nov. 16, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

002(1).JPG

A man stands at the entrance to the 2023 Pacific Games stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands, Nov. 16, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

003(2).JPG

People sell bananas, root crops and other produce at Honiara Central Market in the Solomon Islands capital, Nov. 17, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

004(1).JPG

A boy holds a baby at Honiara Central Market in the Solomon Islands capital, Nov. 17, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

005.JPG

Anti-China and anti-Solomon Islands government graffiti is seen on a building in the Chinatown section of the Solomon Islands capital Honiara, Nov. 18, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

006.JPG

Vehicles drive past a billboard, near the Solomon Islands capital Honiara, advertising for a finance company providing loans for obligations such as school and medical fees, Nov. 19, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

007(1).JPG

Dancers perform at the one-year-to-go event for the 2023 Pacific Games near the Solomon Islands capital Honiara, Nov. 19, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

008.JPG

A performer concentrates at the one-year-to-go event for the 2023 Pacific Games, Nov. 19, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

009.JPG

Houses are seen on the harbor of Auki in the island of Malaita, Nov. 21, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

010.JPG

People travel in a truck used for public transportation in Auki, Solomon Islands, Nov. 20, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

011.JPG

The official office of the premier of Malaita is see here in Auki, Solomon Islands, Nov. 21, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

012.JPG

Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani gestures during an interview at his office, Nov. 21, 2022. [Stephen Wright/BenarNews]

The Solomon Islands has become ground zero in China-U.S. rivalry in the Pacific, experiencing both largesse and discord.

China is bankrolling the 2023 Pacific Games, to be staged in the national capital Honiara, where many businesses are Chinese owned. Protesters reportedly disgruntled with Beijing’s influence and the Solomon Islands government torched Honiara’s Chinatown in November 2021.

Uneven development between Honiara and other parts of the country of some 900 islands is an ongoing source of tension. China’s involvement in the Pacific country has mostly focused on Honiara.

Malaita, the country’s most populous province, banned Chinese-funded projects after the government switched its diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taiwan in 2019. A USAID project in the Solomon Islands is focused on Malaita but the province has many development needs including adequate roads.

POST A COMMENT

Add your comment by filling out the form below in plain text. Comments are approved by a moderator and can be edited in accordance with RFAs Terms of Use. Comments will not appear in real time. RFA is not responsible for the content of the postings. Please, be respectful of others' point of view and stick to the facts.