All statements in this article have reliable sources of information, and are described at the end of the article.
The dream pursuit.
Editor of Dreams.
Preliminary
Another white wolf!
In 2020, a sudden new coronavirus outbreak caused the originally poor Solomon Islands to be completely destroyed.
This small country, composed of more than a dozen islands and reefs, had a GDP of just over 10 billion yuan at that time, but suddenly handed China a loan application that shocked the world-100 billion yuan, with an annual interest rate of only 0.05%!.
You know, this is an astronomical figure equivalent to its ten years of GDP. What's even more ironic is that just a year ago, this country personally tore up the cooperation agreement with China and turned to the arms of the United States.
On the one hand, the once "backbone", and on the other hand, the now almost "white-delivery" loan request, how should China react?
American “painting” cake, Solomon’s “backpacker”
The story starts in 2019. That year, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare made a decision that attracted the attention of the international community-to establish diplomatic relations with China.
At the time, Solomon’s economy depended on Australian aid annually but did not grow, with only one-fifth of China’s per capita GDP, with people relying on fishing and agriculture.
China sees the potential of this country, not only has beautiful natural landscapes suitable for the development of tourism, the island also hides a lot of mineral resources, fisheries and forestry also have a lot of development space.
Soon, the two sides signed a 75-year agreement to lease the island and surrounding areas to build large projects such as refineries, fishing bases, and airports, which was a chance for Solomon to change his fate.
But no one expected that Solomon changed his mind less than a month after the agreement was signed. The reason they gave was that Chinese enterprises did not have the right to invest and develop, but anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was just an excuse.
The real reason is that the United States and Australia have come up and promised Solomon better conditions, knowing that the South Pacific has always been viewed by the United States and Australia as a "background", and the news of China and Solomon's cooperation is coming, they can't sit down.
The U.S. has thrown out $300 million in aid and sent officials to Solomon to stay in the most luxurious hotels, pressuring for intense talks.
Solomon looked at the "benefits" in front of him, forgot the agreement with China, decisively tore up the agreement, and turned to join the US-Australia camp. At that time, many people thought that this small country was about to completely fall to the West.
Billions in desperation.
But the reality soon hit Solomon's record, in early 2020, the new coronavirus spread across the globe, Solomon's medical system instantly collapsed, the country's largest medical institution, only 200 beds, and a few breathing machines.
The epidemic forced shops to shut down, fishermen didn’t dare to go out to sea, farmers’ agricultural products were crumbling in the land, the economy stalled directly, and worse, in November 2021, a long-held protest broke out, thousands of people rushed out to the streets to protest demanding the government’s resignation.
At this time, Solomon remembered the original promise made by the United States and Australia, but only when he looked there did he find that those once enthusiastic "partners" had long disappeared.
The $300 million aid promised by the United States was not late, and Australia was busy dealing with the epidemic at home, ignoring Solomon’s request for help.
Moreover, when international organizations distributed medical supplies, Western countries also seized resources with the right to speak, robbing the vaccines and protective supplies that should have been given to developing countries.
Only then did Solomon realize that he was just a pawn between the United States and Australia against China, and he was thrown aside when he ran out.
In desperation, Solomon turned his attention to China again, but instead of choosing to ask for help sincerely, they offered an almost absurd condition: borrowing 100 billion yuan at an annual interest rate of 0.05%.
In this loan application, the purposes are listed, from the construction of international airports, circular roads, to the development of deep-sea fisheries, mineral resources, and have to build the country into a developed country overnight.
But after a little calculation, you will know that this is simply unrealistic. In 2021, Solomon's GDP will only be about 1.5 billion US dollars, or about 10 billion yuan, and its annual fiscal revenue will be less than 500 million US dollars.
Even if the interest rate is calculated at 0.05%, the annual interest will be 50 million yuan, not to mention the repayment of the principal. This is not a loan. It is simply treating China as a "sucker."
In the face of such unreasonable requests, China's response has shown a pattern of great powers, and China has not rejected it because of its previous betrayal, nor has it compromised without principle.
China has always supported developing countries, but any aid and loans must be based on mutual trust and benefit, taking into account actual needs and repayment capabilities.
The implication is that China cannot agree to the request of 100 billion yuan, but the door to cooperation has not been closed. In fact, China has long proved its sincerity with actions.
China speaks by action.
Even when the agreement was broken by Solomon, when they encountered the epidemic, China was the first time to send masks, protective clothes, test-testing agents, and also sent a team of medical experts to pass by, hand-in-hand teaching local medical personnel to prevent the epidemic.
In 2022, Solomon's security was poor, and China sent a police advisory team to help them train the police to maintain social order; in 2021, Solomon hosted the Pacific Games, and China helped them to build a stadium.
Huawei and China Harbor Engineering Company Limited also signed an agreement with them to build more than 160 signal towers, and later helped build new ports. These tangible help made the people of Solomon see it in the eyes of the people and their government gradually wake up.
U.S. and Australia saw China's relationship warming up and began to take small steps, they tried to use aggressive ways to get Solomon to interrupt cooperation with China, and spread rumors about blackmailing China everywhere.
But this time Solomon did not shake again, experienced betrayal and abandonment, and they finally realized who was really willing to help their friend.
In 2022, China signed the Security Cooperation Framework Agreement, covering areas such as police cooperation and emergency response, which completely disrupted U.S. and Australian plans.
Australia even had to urgently increase the aid budget for the South Pacific island country, but it was too late, Solomon not only rejected the request for the US warships to stop, but Prime Minister Sogawarre also visited China several times, making it clear that adhering to the one-China principle, direct cooperation with China is the wisest choice.
Look at Solomon now, it’s very different than it was a few years ago!
In 2024, China's bilateral trade exceeded $600 million, making China Solomon's largest trading partner; four months before 2025, China's trade exceeded $200 million.
In fisheries cooperation, the high-efficiency technology brought by China, Solomon's export yielding capacity has been greatly enhanced, and the people's income has also increased a lot, once the small country that relies on external aid and shakes right, finally found the right direction of development.
conclusion
Solomon's reason for going round the road, saying that in the end was blinded by short-term interests, mistakenly viewing the "painting cake" of the United States of Australia as hope.
The principle of mutual benefit and win-win results that China has always adhered to is the key to truly helping developing countries grow. In international relations, there are no eternal "chess pieces", only eternal mutual trust and cooperation.
References:
People's Information: 2021-06-14, "To openly destroy the leg, now the death and find the door, will open the mouth 100 billion"