China has been accused of interference in the Solomon Islands for allegedly forcing a minister to quit from a global alliance of parliamentarians critical of Beijing’s growing influence.
Solomon Islands’ rural development minister Daniel Waneoroa announced his resignation from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) on Sunday to support the ruling government.
Mr Waneoroa said he was stepping down from his role as one of the co-chairs of IPAC to contribute to national political stability.
“This decision reflects my personal conviction and unwavering commitment to the principles of democracy, transparency, and accountability,” Mr Waneoroa said in a statement.
China’s embassy in the Solomon Islands denied the allegation of interference as “baseless”.
Ipac is an international and cross-party group of lawmakers from democratic countries who work together to counter the Chinese government’s growing global influence. It has raised concerns about Beijing’s actions in regions like Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
China’s influence increased significantly during the term of prime minister Jeremiah Manele's predecessor, with the country switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China and striking a secret security pact.
It thrust the Pacific archipelago of 700,000 into international spotlight as the alliance raised fears of China’s security forces gaining a foothold in the region long dominated by the US, Australia, and New Zealand.
The resignation has drawn swift condemnation from Ipac and non-profit organisation Transparency Solomon Islands, which blamed China for its interference in politics on the island.
“Once again, a democratically elected lawmaker from our alliance has been bullied out by Beijing's interference and coercion campaign. Mr Waneoroa was subjected to relentless intimidation, including economic threats against the Solomon Islands, all designed to force his hand and make him resign,” a spokesperson for Ipac told The Independent in a statement.
“This is yet another blatant attack on democratic sovereignty as orchestrated by Beijing. When will enough be enough?”
It said Mr Waneoroa faced “persistent and mounting coercion” from China, and Mr Waneoroa was directly contacted by the Chinese embassy in Honiara “compelling him to sever ties with Ipac, even threatening”.
Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) called on the Chinese embassy in Solomon not to “create further political instability in our country for your own interests”.
“The people of Solomon Islands have endured enough political turmoil. We need a stable government that can focus on addressing our developmental, economic, and social challenges.”
Mr Waneoroa resigned from Ipac just 10 days after he was appointed rural development minister. He has served as the chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environment at the Ipac.
Mr Waneoroa’s decision came after the Chinese embassy requested a meeting with the minister over his affiliations with the Ipac, which angered China with its strong links with Taiwan and its efforts to mount international pressure on Beijing for its alleged human rights violations in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, according to Transparency Solomon Islands.
It said: "The People's Republic of China must understand: Solomon Islands is not a satellite state like Hong Kong.
"No embassy has the right to issue political demands or threats to our sovereign nation.”
China’s embassy said in a statement: "China will never interfere in Solomon Islands' internal affairs, and also firmly oppose any other countries' interference in Solomon Islands' internal affairs."
"[The] Chinese embassy firmly opposes such baseless allegation, and reiterates its support to the political stability of Solomon Islands."
It comes a month after China was accused of forcing two African nations Malawi and The Gambia to quit IPAC through “extreme diplomatic coercion”.
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