Live stream – SDP announces its first SDP candidates.

Daniel Suidani, a former provincial leader of the Solomon Islands, has been “disqualified” by the pro-China government for his refusal to recognise Beijing over Taipei. The move follows Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s decision to switch the country’s diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019. Suidani, who plans to challenge the decision in the High Court, has consistently refused to toe the line set by Sogavare, citing overwhelming support among people in Malaita for maintaining ties with Taiwan. The move comes at a time of growing Chinese influence in the Solomons and the wider Pacific.