United States warned the Solomon Islands that they would retaliate “accordingly” if the China would set up a “permanent military presence” in the Pacific archipelago after signing a controversial security deal, the White House reported Friday.
A high-level US delegation visiting the Solomons explained to the island’s leaders that if… Beijing If it were to move towards “the establishment of a permanent de facto military presence,” this would cause “serious concerns” for the United States, which “will retaliate accordingly,” the US presidency said in a press release. This also applies in the case of the creation of a “military installation” or “force projection capabilities” that would allow for a Chinese deployment in the region, she said.
“No military base, no long-term presence”
Envoys from the White House and the US State Department traveled to the Solomon Islands on Friday to meet Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. While Washington wanted to convince the archipelago not to sign an agreement with Beijing, they seem surprised on Tuesday by the formalization of this rapprochement.
“In response to the concerns expressed, Prime Minister Sogavare reiterated his assurances that specifically guarantee that there would be no military base, no sustained presence and no power-projection capabilities,” the presidency explained. “The United States emphasized that it would closely monitor developments in consultation with its regional partners. †
The US delegation also insisted on the “potential implications for regional security” and questioned “the purpose, scope and transparency of the agreement” during “substantial discussions”.
Security Dialog
But the Americans also assured that the Solomons would “respect the right” to make “their sovereign decisions”, and tried to win over the islands by multiplying gestures toward them. Among them are the acceleration of the opening of a US embassy, the strengthening of cooperation on unexploded mines, the shipment of a hospital ship for public health aid or the delivery of additional vaccines. †
The two countries also committed to launching a “high-level strategic dialogue”, which will focus in particular on the sensitive issue of security.
