IIRC when I was there the Solomon Islands was one of the few countries that recognised the Republic of China as the Chinese government. That would explain why the Chinese population there were almost all Taiwanese. The was big riot in Honiara when the Solomon Islanders blamed the Chinese for all their poverty and unemployment and destroyed most of their businesses.
With them went all the jobs and prospect of getting any.
I suppose now their government is looking out for the handouts and the inevitable mansions on the beach on the Gold Coast of Australia.