Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) on Monday called accusations against Taiwan by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare “irresponsible” after Sogavare claimed that riots in his nation were initiated by “Taiwan’s agents.”
Sogavare, who has been accused of graft, should see the riots as a sign that he is an unpopular leader, and that his decision to sever ties with Taiwan was made against the wishes of his people.
There were concerns about Sogavare’s leadership even before opposition leader Matthew Wale initiated a no-confidence vote. In November last year, Sogavare moved to ban Facebook due to alleged Chinese influence, after the platform was used to criticize Sogavare’s administration and organize protests.
While Taiwan should continue to show concern for the people of the Solomon Islands and should welcome them to Taiwan, it need not be concerned about maintaining exchanges with the country’s government if it does not share Taiwan’s democratic values. Nor should it be compelled to respond to allegations made by such a government.
On Sept. 18, 2019, just after Honiara cut ties with Taipei, the ministry received messages from Solomon Islanders lamenting the decision by their government, which the ministry posted on Facebook. The riots, which aimed to see Sogavare resign and the ties with Taipei reinstated, show that Solomon Islanders’ sentiments toward Taiwan have not changed. They also point to an administration that is still not acting in the interest of its people.
In comparison, Palau is a like-minded ally with which Taiwan can resolve issues constructively. After Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr on Nov. 19 said that China Airlines was “poisoning” his country’s tourism market by canceling its flights to the country last month, the state-owned carrier said it would resume flights this month.
Taiwan must focus its efforts on maintaining good relations with fellow democracies, particularly those such as Palau that have shunned income from Chinese tourists in favor of maintaining ties with Taiwan — with both sharing concern for the environment, sustainability, public health and other key issues.
Meanwhile, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday reaffirmed his government’s ties with Taipei, and associated those ties with being a US ally. As US-China tensions continue to grow over the Chinese buildup in the South China Sea, exchanges with Taiwan and an ongoing trade dispute, countries worldwide increasingly find themselves on one side or the other. Those espousing democracy and shared values with the US likely support Taipei even at risk of angering Beijing. This is the trend in Europe, where countries such as the Czech Republic and Lithuania are increasingly taking bold steps to boost ties with Taipei and dismissing threats from China.
US officials have praised moves such as Lithuania’s opening of a representative office in Taipei. Conversely, when Honiara cut ties with Taipei in 2019, then-US vice president Mike Pence criticized Sogavare and canceled a trip to meet the prime minister.
The government need not worry about losing diplomatic allies or responding to baseless allegations from former allies, because leaders who care about democracy and human rights will want to have exchanges with Taiwan, while those inclined toward corruption and autocracy will crawl toward China, regardless of what Taiwan does for them.
Unfortunately for the citizens of countries favoring Beijing, their leadership will likely be bolstered while the public will face environmental degradation, inadequate infrastructure, rising public debt and an erosion of free speech and other liberties.
The government should continue to focus on its friendships with democracies, and should say goodbye to those inclined toward alliances with Beijing. It should also continue to press fellow democracies — especially the US — to establish formal ties.
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