China, Australia and the Solomon Islands have seen extraordinary tensions in recent months over the Solomon Islands-China security pact, which is expected to increase the Chinese military presence in the region.
Located some 3,000km from Australia, the tiny nation of 700,000 people has now become the latest entrant in the wider geopolitical crisis emerging in the Indo-Pacific.
The Pacific island nation of the Solomon Islands finds itself in a similar situation, after falling victim to the Great Power rivalry with the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II in the 1940s. Key players in the Indo-Pacific region in the draft security agreement are concerned about the far-reaching implications of the decision.
The deal has been kept confidential, leading to widespread speculation that has escalated the situation. While Prime Minister Sogaware has reiterated that the underlying reason for the treaty is his country’s sovereignty, former Prime Minister Hon Rick Honipwela has alleged that the security treaty with China is completely “in line with the PRC playbook” and that the seeds were sown back It was only in 2019 when Sogaware dramatically switched national allegiance from Taiwan to China.
There has been angry rhetoric from all sides, with China accusing Australia of a ‘colonial mindset towards South Pacific island nations’ and powers that have traditionally dominated the region, calling it “severely concerned”. In addition, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogaware, has accused other countries of not respecting the sovereignty of the small nation.
What exactly is the deal?
While the final draft is underway and not much has been officially disclosed by the two countries, the leaked, draft version of the agreement paints an unpleasant picture. The Seven-Article Document was loaded with enormous powers given to China.
First, it allows China to become heavily involved in maintaining civil order through the deployment of “police, armed police and military personnel” in the Solomon Islands. Secondly, it allows China to use its military according to its needs to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and projects in the country. Third, China has the power to use the Solomon Islands base to replenish logistics and make stopovers and transitions. It can effectively be called the Chinese quasi-base in the country. Subsequently, this agreement ensures greater control over public information, with the power to disclose the information only by mutual consent. Finally, the agreement allows for further additions and amendments in the future.
This agreement is extremely dangerous given the excessive powers given to a foreign country, China, to maintain peace and security on the island nation. It legitimizes foreign military and intelligence operations in a country whose internal security is already extremely fragile. By not explicitly ruling out the possibility of building a military base in the future, or by limiting the type of activities China can undertake on the island nation, the implications of the agreement are far-reaching and dangerous. This intensifies the prospect of an increase in Chinese military presence in the Pacific.
Why is Australia worried?
In all fairness, this makes sense for the Pacific nation’s neighbors, but why should Australia be particularly concerned? History tells us why. The geo-strategic importance of the region was evident during World War II, when countries struggled to gain influence in the region due to the important role it played in maintaining the country’s military supply lines and its military force projection.
It is in Australia’s best interest for the Solomon Islands to be peaceful, stable and friendly as they form an important sea route and important communication route for Australia. An increased Chinese presence in the region could disrupt communications and shipping between Australia and the United States, a major maritime player in the region and Australia’s ally. Lieutenant General Greg Bilton, head of joint operations in Australia, said the China-Solomon Islands agreement would “change the calculus” of his country’s Pacific operations.
The situation is being described by some as “Australia’s Cuban Missile Crisis”, as close ties with Beijing have traditionally significantly reduced Canberra’s sphere of influence. Australia has been the main security and development partner of the islands and has invested heavily in maintaining law and order on the island over the years. It has been actively involved in projects such as the Coral Sea Cable, Australia’s Education Sector Assistance Program (ESSP), etc., but, despite such aid, Australia is losing influence in recent times. It has been heavily criticized for having an overall disregard for its Pacific neighbours, particularly in the Department of Climate Change.
The gap between these neighbors is widening and China has cleverly found the right opportunity to close it. This is a matter of concern not only for the Pacific states but also for the larger Indo-Pacific states.
The broader picture: Chinese expansionism
When viewed independently, the agreement may not create fear of Chinese expansionism in the region, but when all Chinese development in the region is linked together, Beijing’s turn to smaller nations such as Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Along with its history, it tells another story.
China’s geopolitical ambition is that of a China-centred world order, in which China exercises maximum power compared to other countries, a concept regularly referred to as the “Middle Kingdom Complex”. This ambition requires the US to be displaced from the regional and global order, especially as US security policy moves from the Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific and China finds itself in a theater of great power rivalry in what it considers to be its sphere of influence. considers as.
Chinese foreign policy scholar Yan Xuetong advocates “moral realism” as a rising China challenges the United States for world leadership. As part of this strategy, greater emphasis will be placed on the development of military partnerships abroad while promoting humane societies in the country. China’s gradual influence in the South Pacific over the past two decades is in line with this trend. A large part of this influence is through “military and security cooperation”, a term China uses to justify its increased military presence in the region.
Predicting what the global order would look like under Chinese rule is beyond one’s limited knowledge, and thus Chinese scholars and enthusiasts engage in informed speculation while China continues to play a long and complicated game of strategic chess. Is.
Nonetheless, a security treaty between the Solomon Islands and China is a development that could change the course of Asia-Pacific geopolitics. Despite Sogaware’s claims to the contrary, it is clear that the agreement is troublesome, as it seriously undermines security in the Solomon Islands.
Isha Banerjee specializes in Defense and Strategic Studies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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