The US is concerned about the possibility of China and Solomon signing a security treaty

Chinese officers train armed combat for Solomon police – Photo: AFP

“We believe the signing of the security agreement could increase instability in the Solomon Islands and could set a precedent for the region,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference on Wednesday. 3.

“Obviously we’re concerned about this,” Mr Kirby added.

According to Kyodo News, the Solomon Islands switched official diplomatic relations from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019.

The administration of President Joe Biden in February announced plans to open the US Embassy in the Solomons to increase cooperation. The United States previously had an embassy in the Solomons’ capital, Honiara, but it closed in 1993.

The security agreement between China and the Solomons also puts Australia on alert. Australia has been working to prevent the two countries from officially signing the agreement, due to concerns about Beijing’s influence in the Pacific.

On April 13, Zed Seselja, Australia’s minister for international affairs and the Pacific, asked Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of the Solomon Islands not to sign security agreements with China.

The island’s government has denied that China will build a base in their country.

In late March, China’s foreign ministry said Beijing and Honiara had “signed a framework agreement” on bilateral security cooperation.

Draft text of the agreement leaked on social media shows that the agreement allows Beijing to deploy forces to “protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in the Solomon Islands”.