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HOW THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY FORMS OF INFLUENCE OPERATE.
In September 2019 and months leading up to the switch of diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China, Transparency Solomon Islands raised a number of issues to government to prepare ourselves for this diplomatic tie. These issues relate to how Chinese Communist Party does business outside China with countries that have very weak governance structure like Solomon Islands.
Solomon Islands was provided with an opportunity to truly maximize the financial benefit supposedly flowing from China to Solomon Islands that the Chinese Officials promised Solomon Islands 2019. It is no secret that the Chinese Communist Party would do and agree to anything to get Solomon Islands to switch from Taiwan to China. Based on the experiences of other countries globally Solomon Islands can demand a better deal learning from the experiences of other countries on Chinese Communist Party dealing. One of the major reasons for the switch is the Infrastructure for the South Pacific Games 2023 support. Even when there is a world Covid 19 pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party continues to be selfish and manipulating the government in the name of SPG 2023 to get its special treatment (SOFT POWER).
This relationship is not only threatening our COVID 19 free status but opens more direct flight in the name of SPG 2023. It illustrates how the Chinese Communist Party does its business outside of China. No respect for human life.
Transparency Solomon Islands reminded the Executive Government and the Opposition, Independent, Group, and anyone Solomon Islands citizen who care to read that the Chinese Communist Party Influence takes many forms using CORROSIVE CAPITAL: –
1. Chinese Communist Party Influence
- Economic Influence both licit and illicit
- “Sharp power or money power” to manipulate the political and information environment. Lack of any transparency with regard to agreements our Executive Government has signed with Chinese Communist Party.
- These combined to weaken democracy. Executive Government no longer considers its people’s views and concerns. Investigates those who exercise their constitutional rights of view and opinion.
2. Design Opaque by nature in aid of:
- Maximum advantage for Chinese companies and banks – All materials bought, shipped in by Chinese owned vessel. Next to nothing bought locally giving business to Honiara based companies. Regardless of ownership companies providing infrastructure constructing materials provide a lot of employment for our people.
- China’s “strings” attached. Flying direct to China to bring in Technical Personal for SPG 2023
- Bad terms concluded behind closed doors – All contractual agreement on Infrastructure concluded in China without Solomon Islands Executive Government.
3. Manipulation of Information by winning the information battle. Very attractive announcements on media with strings if they need financial support for their province, with one premier apologising for not supporting the switch previously.
4. Direct Political Interference where
- Using “captured” elites to shape policy. Now calling the shots for what happens in Solomon Islands and not listening to their citizens concerns.
- Supporting pro-China cronies and candidates. Only those in Government given Economic Stimulus package.
- Targeting investment for political influence. The $6 million to the Prime Minister.
- More pushback lead to “sharp power”. Promise of so much money and $1 million bribe offered to Premier of Malaita Province at the time of switch and continuously targeting him for his views and stand.
It is barely one year since we switch diplomatic tie to China. What Transparency Solomon Islands warned the Executive Government about then is now being played before our very own eyes in relation to the South Pacific Games Infrastructures. The Executive Government was alerted about the Chinese Communist Party’s forms of Influences in its quest for World Superpower.
The Chinese contractors who took up contracts to build sport infrastructures in preparation for the South Pacific Games (SPG) 2023 are unlikely to provide jobs for locals nor provide any business opportunities for investors based in country for the supply of construction materials. For a country that has huge unemployment this is unacceptable and is not the kind of practice we want to see in Solomon Islands. Majority of our people will not be watching nor benefit from the SPG 2023. Giving them well paid job or paid employment would allow them to support their families beyond Honiara and raise funds for the public fund through taxes.
Solomon Islands has the highest unemployment rate, is ranked one of the poorest, and most corrupt in the pacific islands Pacific Region. It is ripe and conducive to a complete takeover of our country and country’s resources by Chinese Communist Party. Our capital city and economic power is in the hands of the Chinese shop-owners, loggers, and miners. Our people are relegated to doing business at the graveyard, backway roads etc. What one sees in Honiara, you do not see in any other Pacific Islands. Here from shops to buses logging to mining etc., they are mostly Chinese owned. They invest very little back into the development of Solomon Islands. The struggle to improve our economic status continues to fail from Executive Government to Executive Government in their efforts to bring about changes. The million-dollar funds targeting rural development, achieved very little.
Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) reminds the Executive Government, to demand from its counterpart the Chinese Communist Party to ensure its Chinese companies operating in a foreign land must make it a condition in the agreement with regard to employment opportunity for both our educated, qualified professionals as well as labor and not bring in their own laborers brought over from China. It is not unusual and quite the practice that Chinese contractors bring in top management/professionals right down to a wheelbarrow boy from China to do the jobs under their contract. These types of employees are paid in China and contribute almost nothing to the economy of the country. The billions or millions stay in China and not in Solomon Islands. A mechanism of not leaving a single cent behind for the millions they announced they will be pouring into the games’ preparations. The Inland Revenue shared that most remittance of businesses operating in Solomon Islands goes back to China or goes outside of the country. Government whilst it may not be able to influence this, it should not let this continue to be the case for millions given as result of our diplomatic relations like SPG 2023 funding from Chinese Communist Party.
Secretary to Prime Minister Dr. Jimmy Rodgers turned up before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and admitted that the contract signed with People’s Republic of China (PRC) does not include providing employment for locals. This is an admission that Chinese Communist Party is conducting its business as usual in Solomon Islands, contrary to what the country was assured of when the switch was made. The Opaquenessof the agreement and contractual arrangements as revealed by Dr. Rodgers publicly indicates apart from the completed infrastructures Solomon Islanders will not be benefitting much from this project. All the money stays in China. For Dr. Rodgers to say when questioned by PAC that he will notify PRC of the need to include locals in the jobs on the preparation for SPG 2023 is a testimony of DCGA government dancing to the tune played by China.
In media the Chinese painted a lucrative picture about the millions given to Solomon Islands, being brought to Solomon Islands to be enjoyed by Solomon Islanders through employment opportunities are but a case of media manipulation. Through their contractual agreements and negotiations [between Chinese Communist Party Officials and Contracting Company – China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCEC], done in China behind closed the expected benefits to be reaped from the games’ preparations now and when the games are hosted in the capital city, has now turned out to be a bad dream.
Unemployment continue to rise, and the current covid-19 pandemic measures has further worsened the jobless problem of the country, leaving more families without basic goods who are likely to resort to illegal means of earning money. Some mothers have no choice but to breach the City Council Ordinances to go public with their betel nut markets. Some parents resort to brewing illegal alcohol (Kwaso) in order to feed and clothe their children. Nearly everywhere in and around Honiara city youths are seen aimlessly going around in their peers to snatch any valuable items from random passerby. From Henderson to White River you notice vendors along the road-side selling fish & Chips, betel nut and tobacco were struggling mothers. So, to continue bring in foreigners to take over jobs that Solomon Islanders can do is a mockery of our sovereignty as an independent nation prioritizing the citizens of the country.
Transparency Solomon Islands urges the government to negotiate better deal with Chinese Communist Party and its construction company the CCEC. It is not too late to include in any signed agreement with Chinese Communist Party (funder) and Chinese Companies(contractor) to reserve jobs for locals in the construction projects for the SPG 2023 and any other projects. And lastly, the 2023 SPG games preparation has to be the multiplier effect in the domestic economy, during this time of the covid-19 crisis. Otherwise we are doomed to remitting money back to China getting the country into the web of the Chinese debt trap in the pacific. STOP CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY DOING BUSINESS AS USUAL IN SOLOMON ISLANDS.
TSI MEDIA
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