China at centre of Solomon Islands election

The Solomon Islands’ ill-tempered general election effectively offers a referendum on the country’s increasingly strong alignment with China.

Supporters of former Solomon Islands prime minister Gordon Darcy Lilo take part in an election campaign rally in the capital Honiara. Picture: AFP

The night before the 700,000 people of the Solomon Islands go to the polls is known as “Devil’s Night”, with campaigners resorting to underhand tactics and desperate deal-making.

Tuesday was no exception, with the increasingly ill-tempered general election effectively offering a referendum on the country’s increasingly strong alignment with China, which views the tiny nation as a useful strategic outpost in the Pacific.

Beijing is pouring money into the impoverished chain of 900 ­islands as it seeks to keep Manasseh Sogavare, 69, in power as Prime Minister.

During his five-year term he has drawn his country closer to China, alarming its traditional allies, chiefly Australia and the US, and prompting questions about the source of funding for the homes the modestly paid leader owns around the capital, Honiara.

It is not hard to see the influence of Beijing’s financial might here. A new $100m sports stadium completed by China last year dominates dusty, pot-holed Honiara on the nation’s main island, Guadalcanal.

Supporters of Solomon Islands businessman and politician Namson Tran take part in an election campaign rally in Honiara on Monday. Picture: AFP

Critics wonder how the poor ­island nation will afford the ­upkeep of the largely unused stadium, even as Chinese engineers and labourers continue building a hospital in the capital.

The Sogavare government accepted a $101m loan from China to allow the telecommunications giant Huawei – which has been accused of effectively being a spy for Beijing – to build 161 mobile phone towers across the islands. Chinese businesses now control much of the capital’s commerce, a source of growing resentment.

Former prime minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, 59, has said the election is an opportunity for the Solomons to reject China’s advances. “Rise up and regain our country,” he told a rally in Honiara. “We must regain our country and regain our economy.”

Sogavare, a karate black belt, has been elected Prime Minister four times and hopes to be the first to gain a second consecutive term in the Solomons’ 12th parliament since winning independence in 1978.

He switched the islands’ ­allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, and stunned the US and its allies by signing a security pact with Beijing in 2022.

The pact allowed Beijing to ­install a contingent of Chinese ­security forces to train police in crowd-control tactics after riots destroyed much of Honiara’s Chinese business quarter in 2021.

Their presence sits uneasily alongside police from Australia and New Zealand who are also mentoring the islands’ police force.

Solomon Islanders wait at Honiara port to board boats to reach their hometowns ahead of Wednesday’s general elections. Picture: AFP

Some say they suspect the Chinese operatives are using sophisticated spy equipment to gain intelligence on their activities and the methods of the Australian and New Zealand trainers.

A leaked copy of the China-Solomons security pact, labelled a “draft” by Sogavare, also provides for Chinese military personnel and equipment to enter the fray.

Sogavare has rejected Australia’s fears that it will lead to the creation of a Chinese military base a little over two hours’ flying time from Australia, 600km to the southwest.

Australia and New Zealand mounted a show of military force before the vote, ostensibly to assist with logistics but also as demonstration of support for the democratic process.

A New Zealand frigate sits off Honiara equipped with helicopters and military personnel. Australia has positioned a C-17 military transport aircraft and smaller planes at Honiara’s airport and deployed an extra 400 police and military personnel.

Their presence reflects fears that the election’s outcome could again trigger violence in the tense capital over what some consider China’s plundering of the nation’s fisheries, forestry and gold resources, amid widespread poverty and high youth unemployment.

Sogavare’s received a 39 per cent pay increase this month that took his salary to $428,560 Solomon Islands dollars ($79,000) but it emerged a week ago that his family had built at least eight houses around Honiara, thought to be worth several million dollars.

“He needs to explain to the people, where did he get all this money from?” said Ruth Liloqula, who heads the Solomon Islands chapter of Transparency International.

Sogavare did not respond to questions on the issue from the ­In-Depth Solomons website.

His office has previously distributed $2.5m in Chinese government money to 39 out of 50 MPs, according to official records.

“Our politicians thought that the way to go was basically to ­increase their slush funds,” Darcy Lilo said on Monday.

This is a reference to the Solomons’ controversial system of government payments to individual MPs for infrastructure projects, money Darcy Lilo says is funnelled to Chinese contractors.

He said the burning down in 2021 of Honiara’s Chinatown quarter was “a clear reaction of our people against possible control from China being imminent”.

Even if Sogavare fails to return to power, observers suspect China will back more than one candidate sympathetic to its ambitions in the opaque contest for the top job. Under the Solomons’ electoral system, the 50 elected MPs decide which becomes prime minister.

The Times