PERSAINGAN PENGARUH DI PASIFIK SELATAN: PENGALIHAN DUKUNGAN DIPLOMATIK KEPULAUAN SOLOMON DARI TAIWAN KE TIONGKOK

Abstract

The Solomon Islands shifted their diplomatic support from Taiwan to China in September 2019 after 36 years of diplomatic relations, which was followed by Kiribati, leaving Taiwan with only four South Pacific countries that still formally recognize it. China and Taiwan have long been the main actors in the competition for influence in the South Pacific, which is mainly due to the capacity of the Pacific islands to provide diplomatic recognition, where the pressure exerted by China on Taiwan has intensified since the election of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016. This journal discusses the motives of the Solomon Islands to turn to China, using the bandwagoning theory by Randall L. Schweller with the argument that the Solomon Islands bandwagons the wave of the future, a decision taken because the ally is considered to represent the future. The method used in this journal is a qualitative method that aims to describe and analyze a phenomenon systematically, which will explain the motive behind the Solomon Islands decision to shift its diplomatic support supported by theory and secondary data. This journal will first elaborate on China and Taiwan's rivalry in the South Pacific and continue with the Solomon Islands' motives to shift their diplomatic support from China to Taiwan.

Keywords

• solomon islands
• china
• taiwan
• bandwagoning