In April 2022, the Solomon Islands became the first of the Pacific Islands to sign a security pact with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), setting off alarm bells in Washington. However, China’s influence in the Pacific Islands has been steadily growing for years. In 2019, China succeeded in persuading the Solomon Islands to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the PRC.

Not everyone in the Solomon Islands welcomed these decisions. Daniel Suidani, the former Premier of the Solomon Islands’ most populous province, Malaita, has put himself in China's crosshairs by standing firm for democratic principles in the face of Chinese influence and questioning the government's decision to switch recognition to the PRC. For those views, the government recently ousted him from his elected seat in the Malaita provincial assembly.

Hear from Suidani himself as he sits down with Heritage’s Jeff Smith to discuss China's growing and alarming influence in the region.

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