China announced April 19 it has reached and signed an agreement with the Solomon Islands, according to Reuters, which will add to the “historic challenge” for the Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States.
The Biden administration published its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, noting the U.S. intends to reinforce the region, a “historic challenge” that "requires unprecedented cooperation." The report went on to note the importance of advancing freedom and openness, "autonomy and options.”
“We are concerned about the lack of transparency with which this agreement has been developed, noting its potential to undermine stability in our region,” Australia Foreign Minister Marise Payne said, according to an April 19 Reuters article.
David Panuelo, the president of Micronesia, urged the Solomon Islands to reconsider the agreement with China, noting "such a novel and unprecedented security agreement between China and Solomon Islands poses a risk of increasing geopolitical tensions across the Blue Pacific Continent,” according to a March 31 news release.
The leader of Micronesia also drew on examples from World War II, referring back to a time when the island nations of the Pacific saw a great deal of bloodshed after being caught in between warring countries, the release reported.
“I am confident that neither of us wishes to see a conflict of that scope or scale ever again,” Panuelo wrote in the release.
The Solomon Islands changed the country's diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, a move that resulted in riots in the nation, according to an April 6 Associated Press story.
A leaked draft of the agreement reportedly shows Chinese warships being able to use the country for replenishment, and that the Chinese could send armed forces to Solomon Islands to assist with maintaining order, the AP reported. The move could be the first step in establishing a military base that would be strategically relevant and near Guam, Australia and other western-aligned countries.
