15/01/2026
— 𝐌𝐏’𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚
Solomon Islands’ Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Barrett Salato, has sharply criticized Honourable Peter Kenilorea Jr., Chairman of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee and Member of Parliament for East Are Are, describing him as "a pawn for Taiwan’s independence separatist movement within the Solomon Islands Parliament".
Ambassador Salato’s remarks were made in response to Hon. Kenilorea Jr.’s presentation during the Sine-Die Motion in last year’s parliamentary sitting.
"As someone who served at the United Nations for decades, he should know better and uphold the sovereignty of nation states", stated Ambassador Salato. He reaffirmed that the Solomon Islands Government’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China was a corrective move — one that rectified a historical misstep by the country’s founding fathers and aligned Solomon Islands with the United Nations Resolution 2758, which affirms the One-China Principle.
The Ambassador expressed concern over Hon. Kenilorea Jr.’s “unsupported and distorted interpretation of facts and historical records” regarding the One-China Principle, calling it an attempt to undermine China’s rightful sovereignty and territorial integrity over its region of Taiwan. "Such statements are not only careless," he warned, "but also dangerous amid the current global geopolitical tensions".
Ambassador Salato further refuted Hon. Kenilorea Jr.’s claim that Fiji and Papua New Guinea maintain official offices in Taiwan. "This is misinformation", he said. "Both Fiji and PNG have closed their offices in Taiwan out of respect for the One-China Principle".
Ambassador Salato emphasized that mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is the cornerstone of the China–Solomon Islands relationship — one that continues to yield tangible and meaningful development outcomes for the Solomon Islands.
