SOLOMON ISLANDS | A Growing Crisis?

At the end of November 2021, serious rioting erupted in the Solomon Islands following the country's decision to switch its recognition from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China. However, while the turmoil was serious enough to persuade Australia to launch a law and order mission to quell the disturbances, the decision over recognition had in fact been taken two years earlier, in 2019. So, what sparked the unrest now? Was it really about recognition, and fed by outside powers, as the government and China suggest? Or was there something more to it.

Hello and welcome! My name is James Ker-Lindsay. Here I take an informed look at International Relations with a focus on territorial conflicts, secession, independence movements and new countries. If you like what you see, please do subscribe. If you want more, including exclusive content and benefits, consider becoming a channel member. Many thanks!

For over seventy years a fierce diplomatic battle has been wage between the People's Republic of Chin (PRC) and the Republic of China (RoC), more usually known as Taiwan or Chinese Taipei. Although the People's Republic managed to secure the Chinese seat at the United Nations in 1971, many countries held out switching their recognition. In part, this was driven by strong economic incentives from Taiwan. However, over the past decade, the PRC has stepped up its recognition campaign. Since 2016, seven countries have switched - leaving just 14 hold outs. One of these seven was the Solomon Islands. However, the decision would have serious internal consequences, seemingly reigniting a long standing political dispute in the country between the two main islands - Guadalcanal and Malaita - and requiring Australia to send troops and police to try to quell the tensions.

CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction and Titles
0:36 China Recognition in International Politics
1:44 The Battle for Recognition between China and Taiwan
3:29 Demography and Geography of the Solomon Islands
A History of the Solomon Islands
Political Unrest after Independence
The November 2021 Rioting in the Solomon Islands
What Caused the Rioting in the Solomon Islands
China-Taiwan in International Politics

RELATED PLAYLISTS

===============
FURTHER READING & USEFUL SOURCES

===============
MY BOOKS

===============
MY PROFILES & SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

===============
EQUIPMENT& TOOL USED TO MAKE THIS VIDEO

===============
KEYWORDS

#SolomonIslands #China #Taiwan
#InternationalPolitics #CurrentAffairs #InternationalRelations
#Statehood #Australia #InternationalLaw

CREDITS
Devastation Image: Jay Bartlett
Car Footage: Gloria Hong
Aircraft Landing: Georgina Kekea
Riot Footage Burning Car: Suna Sunia

DISCLAIMER: Some of the links above are affiliate links. These pay a small commission if you make a purchase. This helps to support the channel and will be at no additional cost to you.

[JamesKerLindsay]

The November 2021 rioting in the Solomon Islands received relatively little international attention - even though it forced Australia, alongside Fiji and Papua New Guinea, to step in to quell the disturbances. But it is a fascinating, and tragic, story. It also goes to show that the diplomatic battle between China and Taiwan over recognition - a battle fought with cheque books (or check books) - can actually have profound consequences for many of the mostly poor countries that get caught in the middle. In this case, it reopened old wounds in the country. It would be interesting to know if you had heard about this? And what you make of it.

[SabbaticalTommy]

Good analysis. I was really confused, but also interested in what was going on there with the riots.

[FredoRockwell]

Another great video! I know about chequebook diplomacy, but I'd missed these particular problems in the Solomon Islands (and actually I realized from this video I really don't know much at all about the Solomon Islands!). The mention of "debt diplomacy" really got my attention too. I recently learned how China got a 99 year lease on a strategic port in Sri Lanka by leveraging debt - it does worry me that we will continue to see more situations which lead to internal violence and global tension.

[timor]

05:40 "many left to work in Australia"...
Here's how it worked in practice... the manner of their leaving was very close to if not actual slavery. They were often tricked onto Burns Philps's ships without realising they were going to shipped so far away. They were locked below decks for the passage.They were not given residence in Australia, and after some decades expelled. On expulsion there was no special effort to take them back home, rather they were dumped on the first convenient pacific island, often thousands of miles from home, with no means to get back

The whole processes was euphemistically referred to by Australia as "Blackbirding"

[seriesxboxreddit]

James I love your commentary and insights. Just want to note that your videos are getting better, more visuals are appreciated. I know it takes more time to make the videos but keep adding more and more visuals 😄

[omarmohamed]

So informative and enlightening. It was an eye opener for me regarding the situation in that part of the world and the background that gave rise to it. Well done and jeep up the good work.

[williamdavis]

Another fantastic video.

Don't be shocked if a year from now we see this channel with 1 million subscribers.

[dawnsparrow]

Too nice video about Solomon Islands 🇸🇧 ...enjoyed knowledgs & good analysis of this new crisis. Excellent video .about this rarely known Islands 🏝 thanks for sharing

[chrisg]

Thank you James for the excellent very well balanced analysis of the situation.

[DeanStHill]

Did you miss Barbados becoming a Ewpublic on November 30th??

[abdulbassitmohammed]

Very interesting and informative topic, indeed.

[fahadazmi]

you doing great job . really respect your contribution, thanks mate

[roguecypress]

I found your channel through the YouTube algorithm, and I really love your videos. It's rare to see such thoughtful commentary regarding issues like this online. I've already learned quite a bit from the few videos of yours I've watched, and I'm excited to see more!

[jamesg]

Thank you, very interesting analysis.

[spencerl]

Great analysis! I've always had an interest in Pacific affairs but I never knew the Solomons were fractured in any particular way. Subscribed!

[shaunindia]

Could you do a video about "cheque book" diplomacy please ? Thanks for all these videos

[ProudRegressive]

The combined population of Guadalcanal and Malaita is just under half of the total population of Solomon Islands. Where do the other islands factor in all of this?

[anirudhparthasarathy]

Good evening James,

One of the most interesting videos that I have come across thus far, thanks for making it so informative and engaging. I had no idea about this whole dispute in the first place (barring China turning their attention here, considering how earlier, it used to be PRC trying to switch recognition by Caribbean islands).

I am very curious about Central America though - considerable large states still choosing to recognise RoC (Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and up until very recently, El Salvador). Any reason why they have chosen to stay on - is the aid provided by RoC considerable, to all those who recognise the RoC as the 'one Chine' ?

Have a good weekend.

[rogerdarthwell]

I never knew that a recognition switch would cause such riots!

[TheLocalLt]

This is definitely one of your best videos, about a very little explored topic that many including myself are only really learning the details about in recent weeks.

I’ll note: lots of CCP-sponsored or CCP-sympathetic (sadly there are plenty of totally innocent but brainwashed citizens of the PRC who still defend the CCP despite having to use a VPN to illegally come on here) comments in this video’s comments section.

Thanks so much for sharing the history of this conflict, the only thing I really knew was the swap of some of the Solomons from Germany to Britain in return for letting Germany take half of Samoa in the peace treaty following the 2nd Samoan Civil War, a war pitting German-allied Samoans against American-allied Samoans + American troops, something I was fortunate enough to study as part of research for a video on the Wayback history channel about the 2nd Samoan Civil War.

it’s not unusual that long-standing local issues are exacerbated by international influence, and this deadly incident lays bare the nature of the present-day Great Power Competition (as the American state department calls it) or Cold War-style competition between the Chinese Communist Party and America, Britain and their allies: namely checkbook diplomacy and debt trap diplomacy, new tactics that America is finally trying to match, such as with the significant monetary aid for anti-CCP governors exemplified here.

Without my understanding the local context, it seems from an outsider’s perspective a curious or strange decision by the normally hawkish Australian PM to support the pro-Beijing side in this. Perhaps there is pressure because of the 2003 treaty, would it be too awkward and conspicuous for Australia to refrain from responding to the request?

Thanks again for another great video!