Solomon Islands (SI) opposition leader Daniel Suidani — a long-time supporter of Taiwan and an outspoken critic of China’s coercive influence in his country — died on October 21. The former premier of Malaita Province strongly opposed his country’s switch of diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019, and even accused Beijing of attempting to bribe him and other Solomon politicians. The island nation occupies a key location along major trade routes in Pacific Ocean, and China has spared to expense to establish political and economic dominance in its capital Honiara. What does Suidani’s death mean? Why are the Quad nations struggling to keep up with China? And is it possible for Taiwan to repair its relationship with SI? In this episode, we discuss the late Suidani’s warnings about China, the Solomons’ Taipei-Beijing switch, and its impact on the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific region.
*Recorded on October 28, 2025 at 3pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Wen-Ti Sung
Our guests:
Yuan I
- National Chengchi University Institute of International Relations Adjunct Research Fellow
Tsai Jung-hsiang
- National Chung Cheng University Political Science Professor
Cleo Paskal
- Foundation for Defense of Democracies Indo-Pacific Senior Fellow
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