Taiwan is pushing back hard against a report accusing it of buying loyalty in the Pacific, in a fight that is really about China's growing influence in the region.

• A Solomon Islands newspaper claimed Taiwan handed cash gifts to politicians in Palau and sharply raised its aid to the country.
• Taiwan's foreign ministry called the report false and malicious, saying its aid projects follow normal government-to-government rules.
• Taipei says some Solomon Islands outlets are funded by Beijing; an investigative report found the paper in question took money from the Chinese government.
• The Solomon Islands dropped Taiwan for China in 2019, after Beijing promised half a billion dollars in aid.
• Palau is now one of only three Pacific countries that still recognize Taiwan, alongside the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.

Outlook: Expect more of this information fight as China keeps working to peel away Taiwan's last Pacific allies before the next regional forum.