By Wu Chiaoxi | 2025-05-13

An aborted no-confidence motion against Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele is the latest sign of Chinese interference in the nation, say observers.

Parliament had scheduled the vote for May 6, but the motion's backers withdrew it at the last minute.

Manele is seen as a more moderate leader towards Australia and New Zealand. He assumed office in April 2024, succeeding Manasseh Sogavare, a staunchly pro-China figure.

The motion had garnered support from 10 defecting members of the parliament, threatening a political upheaval.

Given the Solomon Islands' recent close ties with China, the vote became a battleground between pro- and anti-China factions.

Australian media described this abruptly halted "no-confidence motion pushed by pro-China groups" as bringing relief to Australia.

Some analysts pointed to significant China-related factors behind the move, suggesting it was orchestrated by Sogavare.

Though no direct evidence of China being behind the no-confidence motion exists, Beijing likely would have welcomed Manele's removal, Mihai Sora, a former Australian diplomat and now analyst at the Lowy Institute, an independent think tank, told Taiwan's Central News Agency.

"If Manele were replaced by someone who might return to the previous Sogavare path -- such as obstructing engagement with Australia and being more receptive to Chinese aid -- it would certainly align with China's interests," Sora said.

Geopolitical flashpoint

The Solomon Islands has transitioned from Australia and New Zealand's "strategic backyard" to a geopolitical flashpoint amid intensifying regional competition.

"During these past five years, there have been so many things that China was involved in. It's really alarming at the moment," Daniel Suidani, an opposition leader and a former premier of Malaita province, told AFP in April 2024.

Under Suidani, Malaita province in 2019 issued the "Auki Communiqué," a document explaining why it rejected Chinese Communist Party-linked businesses operating in the province and sought to resist Chinese influence.

In 2019, the Solomon Islands switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, expanding China's influence in the South Pacific.

Pro-China policies by the central government in 2021 sparked riots in the capital city, Honiara.

Australia, under a 2017 Australian-Solomon Islands security treaty, quickly deployed forces and formed the Solomon Islands International Assistance Force with New Zealand and two other nations. The force remains stationed there.

In 2022, Sogavare signed a security pact with China, allowing Chinese police advisors to enter the country, alarming Australia and New Zealand.

Under Manele's leadership, relations with Australia and New Zealand improved. By late 2024, Solomon Islands officials signed a new security cooperation agreement with Australia, which pledged $190 million AUD ($122 million) to strengthen the Solomon Islands' police system, including the establishment of a police training center aimed at reducing the country's reliance on external aid.

Australia delivered three aluminum long boats to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in February, enhancing the police's capacities.