China's presence in Solomon Islands 'serious risk' to free Indo-pacific, avers White House

The United States, Japan, New Zealand and Australia have jointly raised concerns over the security pact signed between China and the Solomon Islands which allowed Beijing’s warships to stop in the Solomons. It is the first of its kind agreement signed by the Communist regime in China with a country on the Pacific Ocean. However, responding to the pack, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that China’s presence in the Solomon Islands poses “serious risks” to the free and open Indo-Pacific. 

In a statement on Tuesday, the White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, “Officials from the four countries represented also shared concerns about a proposed security framework between the Solomon Islands and the People's Republic of China (PRC) and its serious risks to a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

China on Tuesday said that it had signed the pact with the Solomon Islands. But, as per reports, officials from the South Pacific islands initially appeared to suggest that the signature was still pending. The chairman of Parliament's public accounts committee, Douglas Ete said that Chinese officials would arrive next month to sign the agreement.

According to a DW report, at the same time, Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said that the security agreement with China would not include a military base. However, Ete said that the agreements with China would be mainly centred upon cooperation in trade, education and fisheries. 

US sending high-ranking officials to Honiara

In the wake of China signing the pact with the Solomon Islands, as per the report, the US is sending a high-ranking delegation to Solomons' capital Honiara this week. The American delegation would be led by US National Security Council Indo-Pacific coordinator, Kurt Campbell and Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. Additionally, the White House has also said that it was concerned about "the lack of transparency and unspecified nature" of the pact.

The media outlet further quoted a US NSC spokesperson saying that the pact in concern “follows a pattern of China offering shadowy, vague deals with little regional consultation in fishing, resource management, development assistance and now security practices." In the official statement, the NSC later also said that the US would “intensify its engagement in the region to meet 21st-century challenges, from maritime security and economic development to the climate crisis and COVID-19."

Image: AP