China and former Taiwan ally the Solomon Islands established diplomatic ties on Saturday in a sign of Beijing's growing influence in the Pacific that has angered
Washington, with a top Chinese diplomat saying the time was almost up for the rest of Taiwan's friends.
In a setback for self-ruled and democratic Taiwan, which
China claims as a province with no right to state-to-state ties,
Beijing this week won over two previous Taiwanese allies in the Pacific - the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.