Another blow for Taiwan separatists

The Solomon Islands' move to formally sever its "political ties" with Taiwan and establish diplomatic relations with Beijing is another triumph of the one-China principle and a warning to the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party administration in Taipei to abandon its separatist policies.

The shift makes the Solomon Islands the 178th country to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing and reduces the number of countries that still have "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan to 16.

There is a universal consensus that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government that represents the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an integral part of the Chinese territory. Given this fact, any attempt to violate the one-China principle is doomed to failure.