American diplomats to visit a series of Pacific islands

Veteran American diplomat Kurt Campbell – Photo: REUTERS

In a statement on April 18, spokesman Adrienne Watson of the US National Security Council (NSC), a White House, said the trip was led by the NSC’s coordinator for the Indo-Pacific. Kurt Campbell and Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink.

The delegation also included other representatives from the NSC, the State Department, the Department of Defense and the US Agency for International Development.

The diplomatic mission will visit the US state of Hawaii and Pacific islands such as Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomonwhich aims to “further deepen our longstanding relationship with the region and promote a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific”.

The stop in Solomons of the US diplomatic mission will be a notable point in the context of US and Australian ally concerns about the security agreement between this island nation and China.

In the Solomons, as in other island nations, US diplomats will “meet with senior government officials to ensure a partnership that delivers prosperity, security, and peace around the world,” the NSC said in a statement. the islands of the Pacific Ocean and the Indo-Pacific”

In addition, they will meet with representatives of the Pacific Islands Forum to discuss issues of importance to the entire Pacific Ocean.

In early February 2022, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also visited the area to confirm Washington’s commitments.

At the end of March, China’s Foreign Ministry said that Beijing and the Solomons 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”.

In early April 2022, Solomon’s Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s office said the new agreement would “not invite China to establish a military base in the archipelago”.

On April 13, Australia’s minister for international and Pacific affairs Zed Seselja said Canberra would provide security assistance to the Solomons and called on the island nation to cancel its agreement with China.