Economic woes, not China, are at the heart of Solomon Islands riots

After a mob burnt down buildings and pillaged shops in Honiara last week, the smoke over the capital of the Solomon Islands was [interpreted](//www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-25/solomon-islands-protests-explainer-china-taiwan/100648086) as another iteration of the geopolitical battle between China and the US. Many of the ransacked properties were owned by ethnic Chinese and some [reports](//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpH9qMkmkqE) cast the unrest as "rioting over China". Daniel Suidani, premier of Malaita, the home province of most of the protesters, has been campaigning against prime minister Manasseh Sogavare for his move to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China two years ago. Sogavare himself has claimed that the unrest was "influenced…