Island minorities

The Chinese in the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands has been marred by ethnic tensions and urban riots since the late 1990s. The Regional Australian Mission to these islands is currently attempting to maintain law and order. The arrival of new Asian (predominantly mainland Chinese) migrants has further complicated development.

Asians first came to the South West Pacific Islands during the time of European exploration, colonialism and barter trade in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Chinese immigrants arrived as indentured labourers or traders. They later settled on the islands, participating in their social and cultural life. They also became instrumental in establishing the local cash-based economy, which now operates in parallel with the traditional village-based barter and subsistence economy.

Urban-rural links

Over 80 percent of the people on the Solomon Islands live in rural areas and many depend on their environment for livelihood survival (for example, fishing). The sea has been their main source of income and most livelihoods are subsistence based.

Over generations, the Chinese established important rural-urban links on the islands. Surplus products from villages were traded for basic imports and sold by the Chinese in the urban retail sector. The Chinese and their established socio-economic relationship with the indigenous people have been important for the local economy. They have had access to global social and economic networks, regional markets and capital investment.

Changing dynamics

Today, the Chinese diaspora is changing. There are differences between the old Chinese minority and new Chinese and Asian immigrants. The Pacific has become a place of economic interest to many of its Asian neighbours for its vast natural resources such as forestry and fisheries. Many companies are not locally owned and the profits of many activities including illegal logging leave the country. This has left many indigenous people and the older generation of Chinese questioning their role in their own local economic development – asking whether it is for their benefit or the rest of the world.

Livelihoods can prosper if social and economic policies address the issue of access to basic services and employment. Also, local cultural systems and beliefs play a key role in the management of the cash economy. Recognising this and involving the island ethnic minorities in the planning and development of the local economy are important for overcoming repeated conflicts and re-establishing secure livelihoods.

Key recommendations include:

• providing economic incentives that build the skills of indigenous people (for example, subsidies or sponsorships for shop-owners to provide business skills training to indigenous staff)
• amending and enforcing immigration, customs and trade regulations to combat the increase in transboundary crime such as smuggling, illicit drug and arms trafficking, and illegal logging which is linked to the new Chinese diaspora
• encouraging participation of new migrants in community-based development programmes
• involving the Chinese minority in rural development programmes linked to current economic activities.

Wei Choong
Centre for Risk and Community Safety, RMIT University, Melbourne VIC 3001, Australia
T +61 (0)3 99252695
F +61 (0)3 96632517
wei.choong@rmit.edu.au

See also

The People's Survey Pilot, Report for the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, by ANU Enterprise PL and the Australian National University, 2006
www.ramsi.org/node/134

Views expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of DFID, IDS, id21 or other contributing institutions. Copyright remains with the original authors but (unless stated otherwise) any article may be copied or quoted without restriction, provided both source (id21, insights) and authors are properly acknowledged and informed. Copyright © 2006 id21. All rights reserved.