Chinese Nationals Face The Burnt Of Anger Against China In The Solomon Islands
Chinese nationals in the Solomon Islands have suffered great loss after the second day of local riots with their shops smashed, burned and looted and their personal safety in jeopardy.
The rioters looted various areas of the capital Honiara. The Chinatown area suffered the heaviest damage with most shops looted and burned, said Tan Jingquan, secretary of the Solomon Islands Chinese Association. More than 100 shops owned by Chinese nationals have been ruined, and all are feeling anxious and afraid right now.
No casualty of Chinese in the Solomon Islands has been reported as Thursday evening, Tan informed.
There are around 3,000 Chinese citizens living and working in the Solomon Islands with 90 percent of them located in Honiara. At least 100 Chinese nationals in the Solomon Islands have expressed their wish to be evacuated.
Some Chinese residents in the islands hired security guards and contacted the local police. However, rioters took the streets in great numbers and the situation went out of control. “They even burned local a police station and a school,” said a Chinese shop owner. The incident has affected many Chinese nationals in the Solomon Islands and some are considering leaving this place. They are tired of it.
The riots were aimed against the Chinese Government making inroads into Solomon Islands with collaboration with people in the local government. People are totally against the Chinese Communists, as they feel closer to the people of Republic of Taiwan. In the province of Malaita there is huge anger against the Chinese Communists.
When asked if China is consulting with its citizens if they want to leave the country, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that “we support the government’s efforts to end violence and chaos. We are confident that under Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s leadership, the government of Solomon Islands can restore social order and stability soon.”
China and the Solomon Islands officially established diplomatic relations in September 2019, opening a new chapter in bilateral relations. However since then relationship between China and Australia has deteriorated considerably. This is bound to affect the relationship between the people of Solomon Islands and China.
