China ready to usher in new era for ties with Solomon Islands: FM spokesperson

BEIJING - China is ready to work jointly with the Solomon Islands to usher in a new era for developing bilateral ties, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came after the Solomon Islands decided at a cabinet meeting Monday to sever "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan and establish diplomatic relations with China.

"The decision of the Solomon Islands to recognize the one-China principle and establish diplomatic ties with China once again testifies to the fact that the one-China principle meets the shared aspirations of people around the world and constitutes an irresistible trend of the times," Hua said at a press briefing.

Establishing and developing diplomatic ties with China, the world's second largest economy with a population of nearly 1.4 billion, will definitely bring unprecedented development opportunities to the Solomon Islands, she said.

In response to a question concerning economic aid to the Solomon Islands, Hua said that those accustomed to "using money to buy diplomacy" might not understand that neither principles nor trust can be bought.

As for the exact date for establishing formal diplomatic relations with the Solomon Islands, Hua said the decision will be made when conditions are ripe.

"We welcome the Solomon Islands' step in making a historically right choice and look forward to the country joining cooperation projects between China and other Pacific island countries on the basis of the one-China principle in the near future," she said.