Dear democratic brothers and sisters of the Solomon Islands.

The bonds of kinship in the Pacific family are strong enough that no single politician could ever break them.

But watching on from Australia, we are worried to see your government flirting with the promise of "30 pieces of silver" from a Communist dictator.

The Communist path leads only to corruption and repression.

Only the democratic path will secure enduring prosperity.

In the South Pacific, we should always stand "one for all and all for one" to protect the freedoms that make our part of the world uniquely blessed.

We have the freedom to practice our religion. The freedom to speak our mind. The freedom to choose our government.

These things are worth more than any despot's "cheque in the mail", and none will survive a South Pacific dominated by the Chinese Communist Party.

In the end, Xi Jinping will require of you the same sort of obedience that Putin is demanding of Ukraine.

That is no future fit for Solomon Islanders.

Yours Sincerely,

Ted Clark
Sydney, Australia.