China-Solomon Islands security treaty

In playing China off against Australia and other allies Sogavare is engaged in a fairly rational game of maximizing the number of resources Solomon Islands can secure.

The official announcement came after the U.S. reported a coast guard vessel was denied docking permission.

A Chinese delegation visited the plantation that covers most of Kolombangar Island in 2019, asking questions about the length of the wharf and depth of the water.

Eighty years after the Guadalcanal Campaign, Solomon Islands has once again drawn U.S. strategic interest.

What do people of the Pacific Islands think about China’s plans for the region and the U.S. response?

After a whirlwind of visits and agreements, where does the Pacific region stand?

Micronesia’s president called the draft sent out by Beijing “the single most game-changing proposed agreement in the Pacific in any of our lifetimes.”

What is Beijing up to in the Southern Pacific?

Beijing’s ambassador to Australia wrote a newspaper op-ed to try and assuage concerns over China’s new security pact with Solomon Islands – although he didn’t specifically mention the deal.

"We're very aware of what the Chinese government's ambitions are in the Pacific,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Cooperation, competition, and contestation are at the heart of Australia’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific.