Ambassador Judith Cefkin, a former U.S. envoy to a number of Pacific Island countries, explains why deepening Solomon Islands-China ties are concerning for the United States, how it’s responded and how the agreement might impact other islands nations’ engagement with Washington and Beijing.
Why is the recently concluded Solomon Islands-China security agreement concerning to Washington?
The agreement signed by the two governments on April 1 has not been released publicly, but based on what we know from a draft leaked in late March, the language is vague, raising questions about China’s intentions. For example, the agreement appears to give China the ability to send Chinese security personnel to Solomon Islands to protect Chinese nationals and property there. Although that would reportedly only be done with approval of the Solomon Islands government, such a deployment would be highly unusual, and the terms governing this possible contingency are not clearly spelled out. The agreement also refers to possible Chinese ship visits to Solomon Islands “to carry out logistical replenishment,” prompting the question of whether this foreshadows basing arrangements.
The United States and Solomon Islands share an important historical strategic connection. The critical WWII battle of Guadalcanal fought in the Solomons galvanized the Allies’ offensive advantage in the Pacific campaign. Today, U.S. and allied security presence in the Pacific, which safeguards freedom of navigation, has been a foundation for peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s also important to understand the critical role U.S. ally Australia plays in Pacific security and as a lead development provider to the Pacific Island region (including to Solomons). Solomon Islands is around 1,000 miles from Australia’s mainland. A Chinese military presence in Solomons could potentially seek to impede maritime traffic between other parts of the Pacific to Australia, thwarting a key…