Solomon Islands may sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan, shift alliance to China – lawmaker

The Solomon Islands plans to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan and align itself with Beijing, the head of a high-level government team representing the South Pacific archipelago has said.

Solomons lawmaker Peter Shanel Agovaka told a parliamentary committee that after four decades of independence and a long-term alliance with Taiwan, it was time to make a change, Reuters reported.

“We cannot sit for the next 40 years with our friends Taiwan. It is time that we make new friends,” Agovaka said on Wednesday, according to a recording of the meeting in the capital Honiara. “Our new relationship will deal with a One China policy,” he said in the recording. The meeting was open to the public, but the recording has not been broadcast.

Agovaka is a senior minister and leader of a government team convened recently to speak directly with Beijing. The government is waiting for a task force report on the issue before it formally decides on a switch to China. Only 17 countries now recognize Taiwan.