16 government ministers and backbenchers in Solomon Islands have declared they want the country to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Led by former Prime Minister and Minister for National Planning and Aid Coordination Rick Hou, the MPs made their stance clear in a statement released overnight.
Solomon Islands Minister of Planning and Aid Co-ordination Rick Hou. June 2019 Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koro Vaka'uta
It read that the group believed "Taiwan has been a genuine friend with Solomon Islands through thick and thin".
It added they would not support any policy to change diplomatic ties to China.
The group said the long term interests of the country - in terms of development aspirations, respect for democratic principles, human rights, rule of law, human dignity and mutual respect - lay with Taiwan.
A diplomatic switch to China was being advocated by a minority of MPs for reasons other than the national interest, the group said.
The statement followed the visit of a ministerial delegation to China last week.
Shortly after the general election in April, the Solomon Islands government announced it would be conducting a review into its decades-long relationship with Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province.
