Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare could engineer a “false flag” event to tighten control over the Solomon Islands after his government entered a secret security deal with Beijing that could pave the way for Chinese troops to be stationed on the Island, according to a South Pacific expert. The agreement, if carried through, would establish a…

Former Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has announced he will enter the election race next year for the Pacific nation in a pledge to counteract Beijing influence. The 73-year-old politician, best known as the instigator of two military coups in 1987, told The Australian newspaper on Dec. 27 that Fiji needed to determine its own…

Australia and New Zealand should adopt a hands-off approach to the Solomon Islands and leave embattled Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to deal with Beijing-linked bribery allegations and deep dissatisfaction with his rule, according to a South Pacific expert. Cleo Paskal, an associate fellow of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, said last November’s intervention from…

New Zealand (NZ) will send troops and police to assist Australian, Papua New Guinean, and Fijian forces on the ground of the Solomon Islands, where rioting has left three people dead and several buildings burned to the ground. NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the government was “deeply concerned” by the civil unrest in the…

The prime minister of Fiji has announced the deployment of 50 soldiers to the Solomon Islands after riots saw numerous buildings razed to the ground. The contingent will join the mostly Australian forces—with 34 Papua New Guinean troops—already dispatched to the island to maintain peace and order. “Out of concern for the safety and well-being…

In September 2019, two Pacific nations—the Solomon Islands and Kiribati—decided to drop diplomatic recognition of Taiwan for the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The move was the latest step in Beijing’s continuing efforts to chip away at Taiwan’s international standing. In the face of the Solomon Islands’ national government’s decision, Daniel Suidani, the premier of…