The leader of the Federated States of Micronesia on Wednesday urged the Solomon Islands federal government to junk a China-Solomons security pact, mentioning “major security problems” and the danger of “raising geopolitical stress” in the Pacific. President David Panuelo wrote to Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare claiming that Micronesia “cannot endorse or agree” with the “unprecedented agreement” that will certainly permit Beijing to station armed authorities and soldiers on the island.
“The U.S. and China are increasingly at odds with one another,”he said, including that the recommended treaty would certainly be problematic for Micronesia, which has diplomatic connections with both China and the United States.
Panuelo feared that the Pacific islands will end up being the “epicenter of a future confrontation between these major powers” as a result of the China-Solomons security pact, considering the islands’ role as a battleground during World War II.
He urged Sogavare to reconsider the “longer-range consequences” of the agreement, warning that it could lead to the Pacific islands being fragmented and used as “tools for these larger countries’ spheres of power and influence.”
“Is it plausible that, once the spheres have been carved out, our concerns about climate change—today’s problem—would manifest into all-too-real concerns about a war in our backyards, with our people, our islands, as the playground for children playing as adults?” he added.
The Solomons federal government said Friday that its security pact with China has “no devious intention, nor is a secret plan but a broadened security arrangement” that allows the nation “to seek support from not only one country.”
Sogavare protected the agreement, claiming that the nature of the protection pact with China was “no different” than the Australia-Solomons safety deal checked in 2018.
“The agreement is for the countries concerned to provide security to the Solomon Islands in the event that security is required to protect our people and country from external or internal threats,” he said in a statement.
“Contrary to the misinformation promoted by anti-government commentators, the agreement does not invite People’s Republic of China or any other countries for that matter to establish its military base here,” Sogavare added.
Australia, New Zealand, as well as the United States, have likewise shared concerns concerning the safety and security bargain, which supplies a structure for Chinese forces ahead to the island “to secure the security of Major tasks and Chinese workers.”
The arrangement, if completely carried out, would certainly increase Beijing’s reach past the South China Sea and also into the heart of the South Pacific area– simply 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Australia’s eastern shore.
