Topline
The Solomon Islands on Thursday announced it had inked a security deal with China, despite concerns from Western allies and nearby countries, that could drastically change security in the region and allow Beijing to secure its first military foothold in the South Pacific.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in Beijing … [+]
Key Facts
Officials from the Solomon Islands and China have “initialed” key parts of a wide-reaching security pact, according to a statement on Thursday from the Solomon Islands’ prime minister’s office.
The draft framework will now be “cleaned up” and later signed by the two countries foreign ministers, the statement said.
A draft version of the pact, which was leaked last week, outlined measures that would allow China to deploy security and military forces to the Solomon Islands.
The draft would also allow the Solomon Islands to request help from Chinese forces to maintain “social order.”
The draft sparked widespread opposition from Western powers including the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, who fear the deal will pave the way for Beijing to establish a military base and exert influence in the strategic region.
On Wednesday, the president of the Federated States of Micronesia, David Panuelo, expressed “grave security concerns” about the proposal, which he said could leave the Pacific islands caught between the U.S. and China and at the “epicenter of a future confrontation between these major powers.”
Key Background
The Pacific island nations are strategically significant in terms of global shipping and trade and they played a crucial role in maintaining supply lines and projecting military power during World War Two. A Chinese presence on the Solomon Islands would likely change Washington and Canberra’s security approach and could destabilize the region. A U.S. State Department spokesman has also said any agreement would raise concerns “over Beijing’s unilateral expansion of its internal security apparatus to the Pacific.” The deal could also fuel unrest in the Solomon Islands, where anti-China sentiment and opposition to Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare—who switched diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China in 2019—has already sparked major upheaval, including the torching of the capital city’s Chinatown.
Tangent
The U.S., U.K. and Australia announced a three-way security alliance in September 2021. The deal, dubbed Aukus, will see the U.S. provide Australia with the technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines and all countries will work together in the Indo-Pacific region. While the deal did not explicitly name China, it is widely viewed as a response to Beijing’s expansion in the South China Sea. China condemned the deal as a threat to regional peace and stability.
Further Reading
China and Solomon Islands agree wide-ranging security deal (SCMP)
Pacific leader urges Solomon Islands to rethink China security deal (Guardian)
China and Solomon Islands Draft Secret Security Pact, Raising Alarm in the Pacific (NYT)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/03/31/china-inks-security-deal-with-solomon-islands-heres-why-the-us-and-allies-are-concerned/