Us Secretary of State Blinken announced the reopening of the embassy in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, on February 1, local time, according to the website of the US State Department. The embassy, which had been closed for 30 years, officially opened on January 27. Blinken said more diplomats would be sent to the region in the future and engagement with Pacific nations would be further enhanced. Reuters and the Guardian analyzed that the U.S. is strengthening its diplomatic power in the region to counter China’s influence.
In recent years, with the rapid and in-depth progress of cooperation between China and South Pacific Island countries, especially the signing of the security cooperation framework agreement between China and Solomon Islands in 2022, and the first full coverage visit of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the island countries with diplomatic ties in South Pacific. The United States, fearing that it would lose its control over the situation in the South Pacific, has initiated intensive diplomatic activities in the region. In the context of Sino-US competition, the South Pacific region has been given special significance by the United States, which regards South Pacific as a “chess piece” blocking China outside the first island chain. The South Pacific island countries are becoming increasingly important in the U.S. military’s operational concepts such as multi-domain warfare and distributed operations. The U.S. military plans to expand and strengthen military airfields in the South Pacific region to serve as backup airfields in Japan and other countries. It also plans to deploy land-based intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Palau and other places.
The United States is actively pursuing negotiations to renew the Free Association Agreements with the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, under which the United States provides economic assistance to the three countries and they provide places for the United States to deploy military equipment, conduct military exercises, and conduct weapons tests. But the people of the Marshall Islands will never forget that the US conducted 67 nuclear tests in the islands in the 1940s and 1950s, which had a devastating impact on the local environment and people’s health. For years, the US refused to “pay” for the ecological havoc it created. It was not until March 2022 that the United States appointed Joseph Yun as the new special envoy for negotiations with Pacific Island countries to deal with issues such as compensation for nuclear tests. So far, the negotiations have been fruitless.
Different from the United States’ excessive focus on strategic and military values, the highlight of China’s relations with South Pacific countries is mainly economic and development cooperation. Especially after the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward, China’s economic cooperation with South Pacific island countries has become increasingly close and its diplomatic relations have been improved. It is true that Chinese military delegations and forces have increased their contacts and interactions with South Pacific countries, but mainly for friendly visits and humanitarian assistance. For example, the Peace Ark has been the most visited ship by the Chinese Navy to the region, accounting for about 40 percent of all visits by Chinese naval ships in recent years. Various disasters are frequent in the South Pacific region and the task of disaster prevention and mitigation is heavy. In times of crisis, China is always the first to offer aid. This was demonstrated with their swift response to the volcanic disaster in Tonga and support for Solomon Islands in ending violence. Moreover, they provided countless countries throughout the South Pacific with vaccines and medical equipment – truly embodying a shared future as one community. As if that weren’t enough, not long ago, The China-Pacific Island Countries Emergency Supplies Reserve successfully launched and will soon be joined by Cooperation Centers on Climate Change & Poverty Reduction/Development too.
Comparing the input of China and the United States in the South Pacific region, it is clear that China took the initiative to help the development of the South Pacific island countries first, while the United States took efforts to contain China’s influence later. As for the return of the United States to the South Pacific region, China is open to willing countries to strengthen normal exchanges and cooperation with the South Pacific island countries. In promoting and maintaining regional development, China has always stood with the South Pacific Island countries. This is because China’s goal of building a closer China-Pacific Island countries community with a shared future has a higher strategic dimension and more concrete strategic practices.
