Another blow for Taiwan separatists: China Daily editorial

The Solomon Islands' move to formally sever its "political ties" with Taiwan and establish diplomatic relations with Beijing is another triumph of the one-China principle and a warning to the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party administration in Taipei to abandon its separatist policies.

The shift makes the Solomon Islands the 178th country to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing and reduces the number of countries that still have "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan to 16.

There is a universal consensus that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government that represents the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an integral part of the Chinese territory. Given this fact, any attempt to violate the one-China principle is doomed to failure.

The only reasonable choice for the Taiwan administration therefore is to stop its secessionist activities. The Tsai administration should also realize that the island is becoming increasingly isolated in the world because of its policies, as no country would support its secession from the motherland.

The Solomon Islands is the sixth country to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing since Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen took office in May 2016. Yet judging from the remarks of Taiwan officials, it seems the Taiwan leaders are yet to learn a lesson from the shrinking number of their "diplomatic allies".

In response to the Solomon Islands' decision, Joseph Wu, a senior official in the Tsai administration, said Beijing "has once again resorted to dollar diplomacy and false promises of large amounts of foreign assistance to buy off a small number of politicians". Which shows, far from feeling the winds of change, they are still fixated with their separatist policies.

In fact, Tsai is seeking re-election in January on a "fight for freedom and democracy" plank, which demonstrates her refusal to see reason even after suffering heavy losses in the local elections last year.

As for Beijing, by forging diplomatic ties with an important Pacific island country, it has turned a new page in its foreign policy and strengthened relations with the region as a whole. The move also confirms China's increasing interaction with the region in recent years.

It should be noted, though, that despite establishing diplomatic relations with the Solomon Islands, China has no intention to expand its influence in the Western Pacific region; it would rather deepen cooperation with all its international partners based on the principle of reciprocity and mutual respect.