US officials visiting the strategic Solomon Islands on Friday warned of serious repercussions if China were to establish a permanent military presence there after the Pacific nation signed a defense pact with Beijing.
A White House delegation in the capital, Honiara, delivered the stern warning on the same day that China’s ambassador attended an event with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare — a sign of the importance both nations are according to the small island state.
The US and Australia — the Pacific nation’s traditional allies — are deeply suspicious of the defense deal, fearing it might give China a military foothold in the South Pacific.
Photo: AP
The White House said the officials had told Sogavare that the recently signed pact has “potential regional security implications” for Washington and its allies.
“If steps are taken to establish a de facto permanent military presence, power-projection capabilities, or a military installation, the delegation noted that the United States would then have significant concerns and respond accordingly,” the White House said in a statement.
US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink led the delegation, which also included Pentagon officials.
“Sogavare reiterated his specific assurances that there would be no military base, no long-term presence and no power projection capability, as he has said publicly,” the White House said.
Beijing this week announced that it had signed the undisclosed security pact with Honiara.
A draft of the pact shocked countries in the region when it was leaked last month, particularly measures that would allow Chinese naval deployments to the Solomons, which are less than 2,000km from Australia.
Sogavare has said his government signed the deal with “eyes wide open,” but declined to tell parliament when the signed version would be made public, and his public assurances have done little to ease concerns in Washington and Canberra.
Too late to stop the security deal with China, the White House said its diplomatic delegation was visiting Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands this week to “ensure our partnerships deliver prosperity, security and peace across the Pacific Islands and the Indo-Pacific.”
The US diplomatic team landed in Honiara just three days after the security pact with China was announced.
During a 90-minute meeting with Sogavare and two dozen members of his Cabinet and senior staff, the US officials discussed the expedited opening of a US embassy, healthcare assistance, vaccine deliveries and increased “people-to-people ties,” the White House said.
The delegation also met with opposition leaders and religious leaders.
Kritenbrink wrote on Twitter that he and Campbell had honored those lost during the Guadalcanal campaign in World War II.
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