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 p
