A TELLING LEAK FROM LOYALTY SWITCH TO TAIWAN: GREAT POWER RIVALRY IN THE PACIFIC

Intro: A leaked draft security agreement being negotiated between China and Solomon Islands could have security implications for the whole Pacific.

The draft document sets out a broad framework covering Chinese “police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement and armed forces” deployments to Solomon Islands.

The agreement also allows China, with the consent of Solomon Islands, to make ship visits, provide logistical support and have stopovers and transition in Solomon Islands

A security agreement between China and Solomon Islands could impact stability in the whole Pacific

Australia must figure out how to respond to an increasingly crowded Pacific, without increasing tensions in the region

By Mihai Sora /Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, and a former Australian diplomat to Solomon Islands.

‘The regional order is changing rapidly … Australia cannot, and does not, expect to be the only security partner for Pacific countries.’ Photograph: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images

Fri 25 Mar 2022 19.00 EDT Last

 modified on Sat 26 Mar 2022 11.46 EDT

 

". . .A bilateral agreement such as the one proposed between China and Solomon Islands undermines that sentiment and shows a limited appreciation for security of the region as a whole by whomever was the leaked draft’s initial author. . .The ambitious scope of this draft agreement is further evidence of China’s strategic intent in the Pacific. Whether or not China will ultimately be able to establish a permanent military base in Solomon Islands is not yet certain – if anything, this is the first step of many towards such a goal. The leaked document is an early draft . . .

[. ] The scope of the agreement allows China to provide security assistance to major projects. With more than 90% of Solomon Islands’ extractive resources by weight going to China in 2019, and a slew of major infrastructure projects being promised by Chinese state-owned enterprises in the country, such an agreement could be tied to Sogavare’s attempt to deliver on his promise of increased economic benefits to Solomon Islands arising from the switch. . ."

The regional order is changing rapidly and will look very different over the next 10 years.

Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/26/a-security-agreement-between-china-and-solomon-islands-could-impact-stability-in-the-whole-pacific 

 

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US to reopen Solomon Islands embassy amid moves to counter China

Washington promises more diplomatic and security resources to the South Pacific region as China’s influence grows

The announcement comes as US Secretary of State Blinken visits Fiji for talks with Pacific island leaders [Kevin Lamarque/AFP]

 

12 Feb 2022

 

"US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has confirmed the United States plans to open an embassy in the South Pacific nation of Solomon Islands in an effort to counter China’s influence in the politically troubled Pacific Islands.

The announcement on Saturday comes as Blinken visits Fiji for talks with Pacific Islands leaders, with Washington promising more diplomatic and security resources to the region.

In a notification to Congress, the State Department said Solomon Islanders cherished their history with Americans on the battlefields of World War II, but that the US was in danger of losing its preferential ties as China “aggressively seeks to engage” elite politicians and business people in the Solomon Islands. . .

The US previously operated an embassy in the Solomons for five years before closing it in 1993. Since then, US diplomats from neighbouring Papua New Guinea have been accredited to the Solomons, which has a US consular agency.

The embassy announcement fits with a new Biden administration strategy for the Indo-Pacific that was announced on Friday and emphasises building partnerships with allies in the region as a way to counter China’s growing influence and ambitions.

The State Department said China had been “utilising a familiar pattern of extravagant promises, prospective costly infrastructure loans, and potentially dangerous debt levels” when engaging with political and business leaders from the Solomon Islands.

“The United States has a strategic interest in enhancing our political, economic, and commercial relationship with Solomon Islands, the largest Pacific Island nation without a US embassy,” the State Department wrote.

The State Department said it did not expect to build a new embassy immediately but would at first lease space at an initial set-up cost of $12.4m. The embassy would be located in the capital, Honiara, and would start small, with two US employees and about five local staff.

> The State Department said the Peace Corps was planning to reopen an office in the Solomon Islands and have its volunteers serve there, and that several US agencies were establishing government positions with portfolios in the Solomons.

“The Department needs to be part of this increased US presence, rather than remaining a remote player,” it wrote.

Blinken arrived in Fiji on Saturday after visiting the Australian city of Melbourne where he had a meeting with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan.

THE QUAD: The four nations form the so-called “Quad”, a bloc of Indo-Pacific democracies that was created to counter China’s regional influence.

In Fiji, Blinken plans to meet Pacific Islands leaders to discuss the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic and disaster assistance. It was the first visit by a US secretary of state to Fiji since 1985."

 

Reference: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/12/us-to-reopen-solomon-islands-embassy-amid-moves-to-counter-china