US renews ties with Solomon Islands to counter China
Friday, 3 February 2023
In its latest move to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific, the United States has reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands after a 30-year absence.
The move also comes amid concerns in Washington about Beijing’s military ambitions in the region after it struck a security deal with the Solomons last year.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the opening of the embassy in Honiara on Thursday “symbolises a renewal relationship” between both countries.
The Solomon Islands government says it is now seriously looking at setting up its own embassy in Washington DC.
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It also highlights the strength of America and the Solomon Islands’ commitment to their bilateral relations, the Solomons’ people and their partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, Blinken said in a statement.
He said the US valued its shared history and sacrifice with Honiara, and looked forward to continuing to strengthen this partnership in a range of areas.
Those areas included economic development, combating the Covid-19 pandemic, and addressing the challenges of climate change.
“The opening of the embassy builds on our efforts not only to place more diplomatic personnel throughout the region, but also to engage further with our Pacific neighbours, connect United States programmes and resources with needs on the ground, and build people-to-people ties,” Blinken said.
“More than any other part of the world, the Indo-Pacific region – including the Pacific Islands – will shape the world’s trajectory in the 21st century.”
Blinken had announced plans to open a diplomatic mission in the Solomons during a visit to the region last year.
”We are seeing this bond weaken as the People’s Republic of China aggressively seeks to engage Solomon Islands’ political and business elites, utilising a familiar pattern of extravagant promises, prospective costly infrastructure loans, and potentially dangerous debt levels.”
The last US embassy in Honiara closed in 1993 amid post-cold war budget cuts and Washington was represented in the Pacific nation by an ambassador based in Papua New Guinea.
The security agreement with China allows Solomons’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to call upon Beijing at any time for defence and security assistance.
Sogavare switched allegiance from the self-ruled island of Taiwan to China in 2019, days after winning the general election.
Solomons’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs & External Trade, Peter Kenilorea, said the Pacific nation’s relationship with the US was a long and enduring one.
“It has been strained at times. But we have always been friends and our bonds are bound by blood. The US has never left us, but it is wonderful to have a physical presence in our capital of Honiara,” Kenilorea said.
“Now we have to seriously look at setting up our own Solomon Islands Embassy in Washington DC.”
In September, US President Joe Biden hosted Pacific island leaders at a White House summit, pledging to help keep the Chinese “economic coercion” at bay.
Biden had also promised to work together and harder with his allies and partners to address the Pacific’s needs.
A joint declaration between the US and 14 Pacific leaders, including Sogavare, resolved to strengthen this partnership and share a vision where “democracy will be able to flourish” in the island states.
The White House said the US had been encouraged by Sogavare’s commitment to working with traditional security partners in the region, New Zealand, Australia and the US.
But the US remained concerned about the secrecy surrounding the security pact with China.
While Sogavare has assured the US and its allies that the agreement will not see any Chinese military presence in the Solomons, a White House official said any militarisation in the Pacific by China would be a great concern.
The White House also confirmed Russell Comeau would continue to serve as the interim US Chargé d'Affaires in the Solomons.