HONIARA (CU)_The Solomon Islands announced it will not support a joint declaration that the Biden administration planned to release, undermining American efforts to unify Pacific Island leaders at a White House summit this week.
The Solomon Islands sent a diplomatic note to other countries in the area stating that there was no agreement on the issues and that it needed “time to reflect” on the declaration as President Biden prepared to host the leaders of a dozen Pacific countries on Wednesday and Thursday in a historic gathering.
The setback, which occurred only hours before the summit, is an indication of the difficulties Washington confronts in re-establishing its influence in a region where China has gained ground. As she travels in East Asia, Vice President Harris emphasizeed the United States’ commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” during stops in South Korea and Japan. She criticized China’s “disturbing” regional moves, particularly “provocations” against Taiwan, in statements he made in Japan on Wednesday.
In recent years, China has stepped up its diplomatic and financial connections with Pacific Island governments while also promoting security accords that might expand its military presence in a region that is strategically important due to its natural resources and critical shipping lanes.
The timing of the protest against the summit declaration was unexpected, but not the source.
Since the inauguration of Manasseh Sogavare, a combative Prime Minister, as the country’s leader in 2019, the Solomon Islands have gotten closer to China. A few months later, the Solomon Islands changed its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. This year, the Solomon Islands made headlines once more when it signed a contentious security agreement with China that the United States and its allies worry could result in a Chinese base being established in the archipelago, about 1,000 miles off the coast of Australia. China and the Solomon Islands have opposed the base’s proposed location.
