China and the Solomon Islands have signed a contentious security treaty

*Paromita Das

China and the Solomon Islands have signed a broad security agreement that will allow Chinese naval forces to operate in the South Pacific, a move that the United States, Australia, and New Zealand regard with scepticism.

“The foreign ministers of China and the Solomon Islands officially signed the framework agreement on security cooperation recently,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin during a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday.
He didn’t say when or where the agreement was signed.

According to a leaked draught of the agreement last month, China will be allowed to station naval and security forces in the Pacific, less than 2,000 kilometers off Australia’s coast.

According to the leaked document, the Solomon Islands, which are located east of Papua New Guinea, may “request China to send police, armed and military personnel, and other law enforcement agencies” to the country.

It could also send warships to the islands for rest and replenishment, sparking speculation about China establishing a naval base on the islands.

The unexpected announcement comes just one day after the United States announced the dispatch of two top officials to the archipelago.
According to US State Department spokesman Ned Price, the agreement could destabilise the Solomon Islands and set a worrying precedent for the Pacific region as a whole.

“Regardless of the Solomon Islands government’s comments, the broad nature of the security agreement allows for the deployment of PRC (People’s Republic of China) military forces to the Solomon Islands,” Price said.

The signing of the pact follows protests in 2021 in response to Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and align with China.

More than 200 peacekeepers from Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand were deployed to restore calm.

The Solomon Islands’ prime minister claims that a security agreement with China will not jeopardise peace.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister of the Pacific island nation of Solomon Islands told the country’s parliament that a security pact with China would not jeopardise peace.

“I ask all our neighbours, friends, and partners to respect the sovereign interests of the Solomon Islands with the assurance that the decision will not have a negative impact or undermine the peace and harmony of our region,” Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told parliament.

The security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands has alarmed the West, as well as Australia and New Zealand. Both countries regard the Solomon Islands as part of a region in their “backyard.”

Australia is a member of the Quad, along with the United States, India, and Japan. The Quad is widely regarded as an attempt to limit Chinese influence.

The Solomon Islands has received numerous calls from the West and its neighbors urging it not to proceed with the pact. Australia is concerned that the security pact will result in a Chinese military presence within 2000 kilometers of the country.
Sogavare confirmed that the pact had been signed by the two countries’ foreign ministers, a day after China announced the unusually quick signing.

The announcement comes just days before a White House delegation led by Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell is set to arrive in Honiara.

According to the US embassy, Campbell met with Fiji’s Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, on Wednesday in Suva to discuss regional security. He’ll also visit Papua New Guinea.

The US, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia are concerned about the security pact with China “and its serious risks to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to the White House.