'China treats us as sovereign territory with equal rights,' prime minister says

It took the Solomon Islands 36 years to decide to establish diplomatic relations with China, and now it is the time to move forward to explore the great potential of the relationship, the Pacific island country's Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said on Wednesday.

Sogavare is on a six-day visit to China that ends on Sunday. The two countries officially established diplomatic ties on Sept 21.

Sogavare said in an interview that as a member of the United Nations, the Solomon Islands should respect United Nations Resolution 2758, which he said makes it clear that Taiwan is a province of China and not an independent country.

"We need to respect the territorial sovereignty of countries, and Taiwan is an integral part of the People's Republic of China," he said, adding that this is what has led his country to make its decision on diplomatic ties.

"We've been discussing that for a long, long time."

Sogavare said he thinks that China's economic growth will bring more opportunities for the world's development, and that "it would be stupid" for his country to miss such opportunities.

On Wednesday, China and the Solomon Islands signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building the Belt and Road. Sogavare said during his meeting with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday that the Belt and Road Initiative is a proposal that will bring great opportunities to his country.

"It's just a process of implementing it now," Sogavare said. "We will be looking at the opportunities. We have a lot of proposals that we would like to put forward."

The prime minister said he appreciates that China maintains that countries big or small, rich or poor should be treated as equals in international affairs and develop state-to-state relations in accordance with the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which include such principles as mutual respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty.

"While some other countries see us as very small, as needing to toe the line with them, China treats us as a sovereign territory with equal rights in the UN. We can talk on equal terms, no matter small or great," he said.

As a new friend of China, the prime minister said he has already started to read the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.

He said Xi's proposal to build a community with a shared future for mankind is "what was badly needed in the world today because people ceased respecting simple values."

"Xi is a very humble man. He comes up from a very humble beginning, and that's why he understands people right at the grassroots level and also understands issues at the international level. This country is blessed with a leader who has vision," he said.