Solomon Islands caught between US, China one-upmanship

Hyderabad:  The US recently said it will open an embassy in the Solomon Islands, laying out in unusually blunt terms a plan to increase its influence in the South Pacific nation before China becomes strong there. Read more about the Islands and why it is in news these days..

Solomon Islanders cherished their history with Americans on the battlefields of World War II (1939-45), but that the US was in danger of losing its preferential ties as China “aggressively seeks to engage” elite politicians and business people in the Solomon Islands. The move comes after rioting rocked the nation in November 2021.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare survived a no-confidence vote the following month, telling legislators in a fiery 90-minute speech that he had done nothing wrong and would not bow down to “the forces of evil” or to “Taiwan’s agents”.

The US previously operated an embassy in the Solomons for five years before closing it in 1993. Since then, US diplomats from neighbouring Papua New Guinea have been accredited to the Solomons, which has a US consular agency.

Location

Solomon Islands is a nation in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, comprising more than 990 islands. Its capital is Honiara, located on the island of Guadalcanal. The islands have a population of 7 lakh.

The Solomon Islands have been inhabited by Melanesian people for at least 30,000 years. It consists of a double chain of volcanic islands and coral atolls in Melanesia.

Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country comprises most of the Solomons chain—with the exception of Buka and Bougainville, two islands at the northwestern end that form an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea.

Major issues on the islands

The riots grew from a peaceful protest and highlighted long-simmering regional rivalries, economic problems and concerns about the country’s increasing links with China.

The embassy announcement fits with a new Biden administration strategy for the Indo-Pacific and emphasizes building partnerships with allies in the region as a way to counter China’s growing influence and ambitions.

In the Quad meeting held recently, the US has said that it is committed to a “free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient” Indo-Pacific region.

Type of government

The island is a constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch, represented by a governor-general, serving as the formal head of state. Still, the country, a member of the Commonwealth, is independent, and the governor-general is appointed on the advice of the unicameral National Parliament.

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