TUTUVATU

    Dr. Tarcisius Kabutaulaka Since the early 1980s, Solomon Islands has been dancing with the Asian dragons: Taiwan and China.  But while Honiara dances with Taipei, it has been glancing seductively at Beijing, which has always been happy to show off its dragon moves.  Now, it seems that Honiara - or  at least some Members of Parliament (MPs) -  has been seduced by Beijing. My previous article provided a  brief  overview of the origins of th e  ‘dance’ between Solomon Islands, Taiwan and China.  T h e  dance continues ;  now influenced by China’s assertive global  influence , Taiwan’s weakening global position, and an insatiable desire by some Solomon Islands  politic ians to dance into Beijing’s kaoni (credit)  book . This  piece  focuses on the current debate on whether or not Solomon Islands should switch diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China.  It provides a  brief  overview of Solomon Islands relationships with Taipei and Beijing, the  rationale for the  prop

Dr . Tarcisius Kabutaulaka I had earlier planned to write a piece on how the changing regional order will impact Solomon Islands. However, given discussions in the past weeks about the possibility that Solomon Islands might switch diplomatic relations from Taiwan to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), I have decided to focus on the Solomon Islands/Taiwan/China issue. From what I gathered, there is a push by some Cabinet Ministers and backbenchers in the Solomon Islands Government for the country to abandon Taipei and forge diplomatic relations with Beijing. To address this issue, I am writing two articles. This first piece provides a background of the relationships between Solomon Islands, Taiwan and PRC. It offers a context to our understanding of and discussions about these relationships. My second piece will focus on the current discussions: the rationale for the push to switch, the implications for Solomon Islands, and an outline of issues that should be considered.

  Two Solomon Islanders were among the 4,800 students who graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi  in a number of commencement ceremonies held last Saturday and Sunday.  Both  Solomon Islanders graduated with Masters degrees. They are Cathy Hite who graduated with a Masters in Law and Enly Saeni Labuinao who graduated with a Masters in Sociology. CATHY HITE  graduated  from UH's Richardson School of Law.  Her Masters degree  specializes in Business Commercial Law and in International and Comparative Law. Cathy comes from Weʻa Village in South Malaita.  She did her primary school in Waneagu, Nafinua and Maka schools on Malaita. She then went on to King George VI school where she did forms 1 to 3 before going on to St. Josephs Tenaru for forms 4 to 6, and then back to KGVI for form 7.  She then went to the University of the South Pacific ’ s E malus Campus in Port Vila, Vanuatu, where she completed a Bachelor of Law degree in 2012. In 2013, Cathy  comp

By Dr. Tarcisius Kabutaulaka My two previous articles provided a n overview on  the rise of China and the responses by the US and its allies, especially in mapping the Indo-Pacific.   This piece focuses on the implications for Pacific Island countries. It is descriptive. Not prescriptive.      Oceania in the Indo-Pacific As stated in a previous article, t he Indo-Pacific is an exercise in geostrategic mapping and a response by the Quadrilateral Partners (Quads) – US, Australia, Japan, India – and their allies to China’s growing influence.  Pacific Island countries were not the cartographers in the mapping of the Indo-Pacific.    But they were mapped into it; the region became a landscape and seascape on to which powerful countries project their power or use island countries/territories as pieces on their geostrategic chessboard. Pacific Islands and Islanders are not new to this. Since the mid-16 th Century, they have encountered outsiders, have been mapped, colo