China Claims Diplomatic Coup Over Taiwan With Solomon Switch
- Pacific nation establishes official ties with Beijing
- Taiwan left with 16 allies that recognize it as a nation
Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Photographer: Robert Taupongi/AFP via Getty Images
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The Solomon Islands broke diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing, leaving the democratically run island with just 16 diplomatic partners amid China’s efforts to isolate it.
It’s the seventh nation -- and the first in the Pacific -- to establish ties with Beijing since Taiwan’s independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen was elected in January 2016. Reuters reported earlier this month that China was offering to bankroll a development fund for the Solomons if it switched diplomatic ties to Beijing.