Solomon Islands security deal sparks concern among US

120
2
Solomon Islands security deal sparks concern among US

After decades of neglect, heightened attention on the region has been triggered by the Solomon Islands signing a security cooperation framework agreement with China earlier this year.

The deal has caused the US and its allies to worry about it, and it was highlighted by Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink visiting the Solomon Islands soon after the deal was announced. Australia, which regards the Pacific Islands region as its private backyard, even sent its spy chief Paul Symon.

As Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told the US delegation that countries in the region don't want to take sides, the US Institute of Peace noted on Monday that the Pacific Island countries want engagement with China for their own sakes, not only because China Beijing has repeatedly stressed that it has no regional ambitions in the Pacific Islands, and its engagement with the Pacific Islands is mutually beneficial cooperation and friendly exchanges. It stressed that it is willing to carry out more trilateral cooperation with other countries, especially those with traditional influence in the region, to help Pacific Island countries cope with climate change and promote their development.

Biden is expected to announce a strategy for the Pacific Islands with the aim of excluding China from the region and countering what it considers as a Chinese effort to establish a military presence in the region.

The likelihood of the US expanding its military footprint in the region as part of what would be its first strategy for the region has resulted in concerns among some Pacific Island countries.

The prime minister and foreign minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa stressed that it is important to maintain peace in the Pacific region, saying when countries start talking about a region in terms of national defense, it means militarization of the region. We don't want to encourage this in any way. The Biden administration should listen to the Pacific Island countries for a change instead of trying to dictate to them.