Wellington, April 19 (BNA): The United States is sending two senior officials to the Solomon Islands following a visit by an Australian senator last week over concerns that China may establish a military presence in the South Pacific country.
The White House said on Monday that later this week, Kurt Campbell, the coordinator of the Indo-Pacific National Security Council, and Daniel Krettenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, will lead a delegation of US government officials to the Solomon Islands, and visit Fiji and Papua. New Guinea.
The move comes after the Solomon Islands and China initialed a draft security agreement last month, with the Solomon Islands saying it would sign a final version soon, according to the Associated Press.
The draft, which was leaked online, says Chinese warships could stop at the Solomon Islands and China could send police and armed forces there to “help maintain social order”.
The Solomon family has sought to downplay the agreement and say it will not lead to China establishing a military base there, but many neighboring countries and Western countries remain concerned.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the agreement could destabilize the Solomon Islands and set a worrying precedent for the broader Pacific region.
“Despite the Solomon Islands government’s comments, the broad nature of the security agreement leaves the door open for PRC military forces to be deployed in the Solomon Islands,” Price said.
The US visit follows a visit by Australian Senator Zed Sesilga, Minister for International and Pacific Development, to the Solomon Islands last week.
Cecilga said he had met Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavari and asked him to abandon the Chinese deal.
“We have asked Solomon Islands to respectfully consider not signing the agreement and to consult with the Pacific family in a spirit of regional openness and transparency, consistent with security frameworks in our region,” Cecilga said in a statement.
Solomon Islands portrayed the meeting in a more positive light, saying that Sogavari and Cecilia had fruitful discussions regarding the security concerns of Solomon Islands and the broader Pacific region.
Last week, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele about Washington’s plan to reopen an embassy in the capital, Honiara.
The announcement to reopen the embassy, which has been closed since 1993, came in February before the security pact emerged, but amid already growing concerns about Chinese influence in the strategically important country.