i m very strategy welcome to dublin years asia it s good to have you with us an island paradise in the pacific ocean but now at the center of a strategic game of diplomatic chess this isn t a common description for the solomon islands but since it established diplomatic ties with china last month the u.s. and taiwan have sat up and taken notice. at the center of it all is the small island of an island with only about $1200.00 inhabitants it has now been leased to a chinese company as part of a quote strategic cooperation agreement the company intends to develop a refinery on the island but its potential use as a military base has experts what it is worth remembering this deal came about after the solomon islands broke off diplomatic ties with taiwan the diplomatic loss was
the business of china and everyone could really get some profit from that and in the case what has already happened it s not the case because the rear report purpose is to get what they want and not to share with the people what they can share all right let s look at the timing of these moves taiwan is headed towards a presidential election year ingenue do next year do you think it s generally do you think what china is doing has something to do with the elections in taiwan. is not only what they re trying to do they have done already seen the night in 996 went to one when the taiwanese people tried to elect our president directly and their favorite in the i wouldn t i wouldn t say which party but they have their own favorite and are placed in training one has been so brave to say no we won t accept one country 2 systems we won t accept this so coated 2092
respect with what we have received speech of. the region and so on and hong kong china tibet they don t have it that means one country system because when it was given over from the u.k. to turn on the formal. president of china say it. just look over here telling his people what happens to hong kong opiated make the future of taiwan that was the promise and of the 22 years the congress people say the sense into us today will go to morrow but not as a promise but as a warning in terms of promise what about the consensus of $1000.00 men to do in ridge type a and b. and b. is going to be that there was going to be one china is that the longer relevant i would like to point out this $92.00 sentence the consensus of $92.00 was
a look at what is happening in hong kong and in the last the 4 tickets they have been trying to straighten taiwan not only that it knew you must hate you people must have heard about these into the pacific into pacific strategic. adams and the critter come to karbala and oh ah both lists. oh all this business what they are doing is to expense their power and. not only telling this written over countries like philippines that vietnam like us very unsettling back to the south china sea the people just talking about but just about to a point that you were making you said that if china was a democratic country and if i look at what you re saying now you almost seem to be saying that if china was a democratic country this sort of expansion of power would be ok no in this case i wouldn t i wouldn t have used the word expensive i want to say they are trying to.
and the pacific so the taiwanese foreman is that we just heard that he says that china will do to the pacific what they have already done to the south china sea. if you look at this map this is to log if china gets a military presence here that is significant firstly there is a strategic significance we have a strain right down here the strait between australia and have new guinea is a major shipping route ad but there are also a military significance to this to doug it was once the capital of the british protectorate of the solomon islands it was taken by the japanese during the 2nd world war it was really won by the americans during the famous battle of quite a canal so these islands have always had a link to it to the west for the last 60 years and this is what it really comes down to beijing is challenging washington s status in in the pacific ocean and now washington already have military installations in strategic waters belonging to