The White House’s top coordinators for East Asia and the Pacific will visit the Solomon Islands this week to discuss Washington’s concerns regarding the Sogavare government’s recent security deal with China.
A statement released on Monday by the National Security Council’s Adrienne Watson announced that the White House’s Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell and State Department’s Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will lead a delegation on a visit to Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea (PNG) on an unspecified date this week. The delegation will include representatives from the National Security Council, the Department of State, the Department of Defence, and the US Agency for International Development.
.@StateDeptSpox: @USAsiaPacific Assistant Secretary Daniel J. Kritenbrink and National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell will lead a delegation to Fiji, Papua New Guinea & the Solomon Islands to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/ORRkla5AqM
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 18, 2022
The statement added that the trip will focus on deepening Washington’s “enduring ties with the region and to advance a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific.” In Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, the delegation is scheduled to meet with senior government officials to ensure that Washington’s “partnerships deliver prosperity, security, and peace across the Pacific Islands and the Indo-Pacific.” In addition, the group will also meet with representatives of the Pacific Islands Forum, an 18-member grouping that the White House release described as a “critical driver of regional action.”
The upcoming visit is largely being viewed as an effort by Washington to reiterate the region’s importance to US foreign policy, especially in the light of the Solomon Islands’ much-publicised security deal with China. Last month, Honiara officially confirmed that it had signed a wide-ranging security pact with Beijing that Western governments fear will increase Beijing’s military foothold in the South Pacific. Leaked drafts of the deal hinted that the scope of the deal would allow China to further expand its presence in the region by basing navy warships in the Pacific.
A high-level U.S. delegation led by Kurt Campbell is heading this week to the Solomon Islands, amid U.S. and Australian concerns about a potential security pact the Pacific country is closing in on with China. pic.twitter.com/AsYoCvBmSZ
— Zach Basu (@zacharybasu) April 18, 2022
The news was met with widespread criticism from neighbouring countries, including Australia, Micronesia, and New Zealand, who were worried about the expanding Chinese presence in their “backyard.” To this end, Australian Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison also asked Fiji and PNG to help convince the Solomon Islands to abandon the deal before it was signed. Similarly, the deal also failed to win the US’ support, which announced in February that it would open an embassy in the Solomon Islands. The announcement came after concern rose in Washington that China was looking to broaden military relationships in the Pacific islands region.
Also Read: The Threat of China’s Security Deal With the Solomon Islands Has Been Grossly Overstated
Although Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare dismissed these “unfortunate perceptions” as “insulting,” he stated that the island nation would not allow China to set up a military base on its territory. Espousing the same view, China has claimed that the “security cooperation between the two countries is not directed at any third party” and will only “complement regional structures and other countries.” It has also provided assurances that the agreement “is conducive to stability and security of the Solomon Islands” and will also help to “promote common interests of other countries in the region.”
19/ Indo-Pacific Coordinator at the National Security Council Kurt Campbell speaking to an Australian audience in Dec. 2021 talked of China's "brutal actions along the India border" pic.twitter.com/FznlscWlwZ
— Tanvi Madan (@tanvi_madan) March 4, 2022
Since the announcement of the agreement, the US and neighbouring countries have been trying to leverage their influence in an attempt to prevent China from expanding its military presence in the region. While the US is sending a delegation to strengthen its own ties, Australia has extended the Bilateral Security Treaty with Honiara until December 2023 and New Zealand has signed a cooperation agreement with Fiji.
Australia, in particular, has also attempted to push the Solomon Islands from implementing the agreement and last week sent a delegation led by Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja. Following his trip, Seselja said, “We have asked the Solomon Islands respectfully to consider not signing the agreement and to consult the Pacific family in the spirit of regional openness and transparency, consistent with our region’s security frameworks.” He also stressed: “Our view remains that the Pacific family will continue to meet the security needs of our region.”