US, Australia Alarmed Over China-Solomon Islands Security Deal

US, Australia Alarmed Over China-Solomon Islands Security Deal

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By reacting with open antagonism to Chinese moves Washington threatens Pacific stability.

Written by Uriel Araujo, researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts.

A new security agreement has been signed between China and the Solomon Islands: it could allow Beijing to send military and police personnel, and open the door to a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific the US, Australia and New Zealand claim. The Solomon Islands, who take their name from the Solomon Islands archipelago in Oceania, are a small country which has no military forces of its own – it relies only on its police force for internal security as the islands have been facing serious problems pertaining to mass rioting and ethnic violence. The new agreement, however, has caused an uproar in the Anglo-Saxon world, especially in Australia and the US despite the Islands government has denied that China will build any base in the country.

In February, Biden announced his plan to open an American embassy in Honiara (capital city of the islands) to enhance cooperation. Washington had such an embassy before, but it was closed in 1993.  This new development is part of an ongoing process. In 2019, the islands switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two countries began the framework agreement on March 30. The Solomon Islands need help to maintain internal law and order. Honiara joined Beiing’s Belt and Road initiative in 2019, and China has invested in the country’s infrastructure. Thus, Beijing has an interest in helping the archipelago increase its security. Therefore, the agreement benefits both sides. This is not how Washington sees it, though.

On April 15, the Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told a press conference that the US Defense Department is concerned that the security deal could “increase destabilization within the Solomon Islands and could set a disturbing precedent for the wider Pacific Island region. ”Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne stated Australia is concerned with the “lack of transparency” regarding the agreement and with its potential to “undermine stability” in the region.

On April 19, the White House announced it was sending a delegation with two of their top officials to Honiara: Daniel Kritenbrink (assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs) and Kurt Campbell (National Security Council Indo-Pacific coordinator).

The reactions to this new development in Anglo-Saxon media and establishment show an unprecedented level of alarmism. For instance, a piece named “Bomb Honiara” was published in the Australian Macrobusiness website on April 20. It argues Australia must either “force the deal to be retracted” or “force the Sogavare Government out of power” (Manasseh Sogavare is the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands).

It further argues “whatever it takes” should be done to “destabilise the islands politically or even bombing them”. It ends ominously: “A smoking crater to Australia’s north is not what anybody wants but it’s transparently preferable to a weaponised Chinese satrap that all but ends Australian freedom.” One could just assume this was hyperbocally written with tongue in cheek piece, but it is not April’s Fool and the author, David Lewellyn-Smith, is the co-founder of The Diplomat magazine. It is almost unbelievable such language can be employed in Australian media today, but anti-Chinese alarmism has been part of the Australian political climate for quite a long time.

While the Canberra establishment is so vocal about possible Chinese influence, its foreign and domestic policy has been to a large extent controlled by the US for decades. Australian former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (1972-75) was an exception: he moved Canberra towards the Non-Aligned Movement and pursued an independent foreign policy. On November 11, the very day Whitlam was to give a talk to parliament about secret CIA presence in his country, he was summoned by the Governor-General of Australia, Sir John Kerr, the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, and was “dismissed” from his office as Prime Minister. This marked a constitutional crisis and is widely described as a Cold War Anglo-American coup – declassified US State Department cables show how Washington took part in this political maneuver.

However, the fact is that to this day some analysts describe a “coup culture” in Australia. For example, the 2010 Labour Party leadership “spill” has also been described as a kind of internal coup. A 2015 BBC piece goes so far as to describe Australia as the “coup capital of the democratic world”, but what this piece does not elaborate on is the fact that the American influence on the country over the years has a lot to do with this state of affairs.

In a 2020 Centre for Independent Studies talk, after saying one must always sacrifice prosperity for security, US diplomat and geoestrategist John Mearsheimer told an Australian audience that, from an American perspective, if Australia goes with China, “you [Australia] are our enemy” because “you are then deciding to become an enemy of the US (…)  and if you are trading extensively with China, and you are friendly with China… you are  undermining the US in this security competition. You are feeding the beast, from our perspective, and that is not going to make us happy, and when we are not happy you do not want to underestimate how nasty we can be – just ask Fidel Castro!” His overly sincere remarks were followed by nervous laughter from the audience. Two years later, Mearsheimer’s words still sum up quite well the general American attitude: it does not tolerate competitors. If his words are to be taken seriously, they would indicate the threat to Australia actually comes from Washington – not Beijing.

In fact, at this very moment, the US is actually building a major precision-strike missile network along the so-called first island chain – a chain of islands near the Chinese coast. This is part of a $27.4 billion operation. Moreover, the US Indo-Pacific Command requested double spending in fiscal 2022 to confront China. In addition, the US has been trying to advance the QUAD as a kind of “new NATO” to “counter China”. One can see today how such American “countering” and “encircling” strategies have impacted Ukraine (targeting Russia), and it would seem it has not worked so well for global peace and prosperity.

The Solomon Islands are basically diversifying their security and diplomatic partners. The way this is being received in the West indicates the current “cold war” climate. By reacting with open antagonism and “nastiness” to each and every Chinese regional move, Washington itself threatens Pacific stability.

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RUSSIA 1.6mbpd EATSJPMORGAN/YELLEN$:

Usa panick,biden oil are nothing burgers as are all usa banks,so russian ruble @77 per panzi dolla,
Usa gets ozi liberals by their flea collar,demoting ozi dollar to scavenge the panzi dollar,and solomons
just a tool for distraction,because Usa are getting smashed on all fronts by all adversaries,yellen is toast.

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Last edited 2 years ago by RUSSIA 1.6mbpd EATSJPMORGAN/YELLEN$:
jens holm

You seemes distracted or worse.

Next time I hope You read the article before You write

jens holm

You seemes retarded or worse.

vietnam

china will crush these racist yanquis in the pacific not only economically but also militarily. china already has the largest economy in the world as well as the largest tonnage of warships in the world. one by one, china is doing island hopping all the way to los angles. asians/pacific islanders hate racist yanquis/australian intruders.

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Zhirinovsky Ghost

Ching Chong China Strong

ATLGA

“International society has developed into a complex, delicate, and organic machine, and the operation of the entire machine will face serious difficulties if one component is dismantled. Those who are removed, as well as the dismantled, will be damaged.. In today’s world, any unilateralism and extreme egoism are fundamentally unworkable. Any decoupling, cutting off supplies, and extreme pressure are fundamentally unworkable.. Choosing dialogue and cooperation over zero-sum games, openness and inclusiveness over a closed-door and exclusive approach, and exchanges and mutual learning over a sense of superiority: this is the only choice worthy of the broad-mindedness of Asians”
Xi Jinping

Fundamentally unworkable. You Nazi trolls are fucked, we’re gonna be wiping our asses with dollars and euros. Go to hell you dentally challenged racist Nazi troll.

Last edited 2 years ago by ATLGA
Chris Gr

Yeah but I am still skeptical about the Chinese regime.

Karl Wolfe

China is building a very fine Navy and must turn away from the FMs or they will end up subordinate.

Florian Geyer

I agree.
When NATO attacked Russia, the die was cast that Russia would abandon the Western LGBT cesspit dwellers and ally with Asia.

China no longer needs Australian coal, iron ore, etc now that Russia is supplying more to Asia and Newzealand’s hosting of nuclear bunkers for the uber rich of the world will not be so attractive when Chinese troops flush them out of their bunkers, LOL

Kell

Yeah all that tonnage of shipping comes from Australian Iron Ore, so does a good deal of China’s food, if they pick a fight 1.3 billion starving people dueling with the CCP is going to be highly entertaining, grab the popcorn time – as far as racists go the Chinese are the worst on the planet by a long shot, followed by other North Asian nations, no doubt the Solomon Islanders are going to find out about this the hard way, China is a paper Tiger, set up by the West exactly for this purpose to be the bogey man for WWIII so the elites can bring about their NWO in the depopulated ashes afterwards, yes Chinas being set up for a fall and we haven’t even let the Japanese off their leash yet.

Kell

For example 😂
https://vimeo.com/29260656

jens holm

The main brig problems is and was, that the Salomon Islands went to be some artifial country.

So now we have some kind of split in th middler, whcih in geografy is not split in the middle. It makes sense there at least are 2 parts and China by this help one of the parts.

But its no solution. Auistralia already was there with a peace force. It did not work.

I dont like any Chinese influence there. In the other hand the people there cant live in the conflicts as it is.

Maybee the world support a state and its not and never will bee. Many islands are their own only. Areas like that was named territorials, where they aælmost was their own but belonged to a motherland(colony). But they were not kept and expropriated as such.

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Jens Assholm

Incomprehensive gibberish as usual. The main problem is your lack of brain you dumb monkey.
Solomon Islands are more sovereign than shithole Denmark aka Faggot Islands.

Maju

The only dumb beast here is you, really.

Edgar ZETAR

Hahah lol!

Rick Jefferson

You say, “I dont like any Chinese influence there.” Who the hell are you? You do not own the Salomon Islands. Whoever or whatever they choose to be influenced by is none of your busines or anyone’s else’s business.

Kell

Chinese/Russian nuclear bases in Mexico also, none of anyone’s business.

Maju

Your comment is sensible, coincides with my opinion but seems better informed on the details about the political problems of Solomon Islands than I could be, as I never paid them any attention other than in the context of prehistory.

States are often illegitimate and must either achieve full internal legitimacy (by federalization, democratization, etc.) or be split into their real ethnic nations. Repression is not useful and definitely not desirable and very hateful, imperialist intervention by ANY foreign power is a terrible development.

shitt

fuck aussie scum. just another USIsrAel pet with idiot tyrants

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basement in US embassy in poland

china just fucked up the FAUKUS. indonesia with a population of close to 300 million is a sworn enemy of australia with mere 25 million, and lives right next to it. indonesia and china with a base in solomon islands are in prime position to invade australia and evict all the racists and send them back to western europe.

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Zhirinovsky Ghost

LOL

Too much video gaming for you

Go back to your homework

Edgar ZETAR

Great comment… Kid go back and do your homework. Videogames destroyed your mind.

Last edited 2 years ago by Edgar ZETAR
Karl Wolfe

It’s plainly obvious that Australia hates it’s own people and are trying everything to follow the Eugenics plans. Fools.

Maju

China and Australia are applying pretty much the same kind of extremist covifascist policies, where’s the difference?

Chris Gr

We cannot know the truth about China. They did crime in Tibet but now China is not Maoist. The MSM are blaming Russia and China for all the ills that America created.

Maju

I’m not even talking about Tibet, I’m talking about Shanghai, completely lockdown for the covifascist hysteria, just as Australia has been doing with cities like Melbourne (and China itself has done in the past in other places).

You’re right that China is not anymore Maoist or socialist even, it’s neo-Confucianist and capitalist and pretty much fascist, almost exactly as Australia is as well.

Chris Gr

Is Confucianism fascism?

Maju

Not on itself but single party capitalism… I can’t describe with other words.

Kell

Very true, the struggle of the free peoples of the World against their controlling Genocidal oligarchs marches on, Australia as elsewhere, White-Genocide is the objective, 500,000,000 maximum world population by 2025 is the plan primarily of Chinese selected for their mindless obedience to authority, Georgia Guide-stones and several books from Elite figures outline this objective, good luck everyone.

Chris Gr

China is moving away from atheism and into Christianity, Confucianism and Buddhism.

Maju

And replace them by Chinese and Indonesian colonization? What makes you think they are any better? History, including recent and ongoing history (for instance Timor, West Papua, Tibet, Uyghuristan, etc.) shows they can be as bad as Westerners.

Kell

Well the Indonesians round up and kill thousands of Chinese every ten years or so, theres a good reason Australia trains and helps arm Indonesian forces, 250,000,000 Muslims are a great buffer for 1.3 billion atheistic Communists, sworn enemy lol yeah right Wu Mao thats why the Indons sink Chinese ships, they have never sank any Australian ones, never bite the hand that feeds you they say, China’s got some “Interesting Times” coming as does the entire planet.

jens holm

The Uriel Araujo of course see killed Taiwanse as Pekinggese.

The conflict has nothing to do with Americans.

We only need Azov Nazis included to make the vodka glas full.

It from 1884 to 1918 was a german colony, whichh most likely inspired Hitler to write Mein Kmapf in 1923 well assisted by Stefan Banderas as typewritermachine. .

Chris Gr

Maybe you are confusing Solomon Islands with Samoa.

Leon

Fuck anglo scum. After denying russias legit security concerns regarding nato expansion in ucraine they pull out this bs and cry because china is doing the same thing they did in europe.

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Peter Jennings

Wonder why the Chinese admin are fond of their lockdowns? It stopped the Hong Kong umbrella US syop in its tracks.

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Florian Geyer

Exactly, YES.

Ray Cyst

Every few years the solomon islander have an anti Chinese race riot and burn down China town. Australia traditionally stepped in to save the dog eaters from the justified mob justice. Now the Chinese ripoff merchants are on their own.

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PsyOp

The “Anglo-Saxon” world is totally controlled by jews, you incompetent dolt!! :D

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Chris Gr

These degenerates don’t follow the Ten Commandments.

Edgar Zetar

I always ask myself why Australia Goverment act so foolish, they behave like wild savage dogs of USA UK Goverment. They are separated by an huge ocean, whats their motive of being agressive towards China? Do you want to China to conquer your land and destroy your military navy and slave your people because you’re behaving like crazy old cranky persons. Do you have to chose peace. To your geopolitics nothing will happen if USA UK lose steps in South and East Asia you are far away from those parts a huge ocean divides you and separate pf being conquered. Australia Goverment should look for peace and understanding to China PRC and made the chinesse sure they only want develop their economies and progress instead of try conquer Australia.

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Rick Jefferson

Those are good questions. The only answer that occurs to me is that the US Government bribes the political leaders of other countries to do as they are told. The USG also uses threats, sanctions, bombs, and invasions in order to gain more money and power for themselves. The official policy of the USG is Full Spectrum Domination. Do what we tell you or there will be consequences. It’s your choice, silver or lead.

Edgar ZETAR

Half agree, but also there is something inside the English Empire Cultural behavior former colonies and todays Goverments. Australian citizens lives in a great land, climate its not so harm, but their culture they have developed over the years, enslaving and almost eliminated ancient tribes in their territory, the MSM in Australia are so obsesives with their English Empire Past, even most of their citizens are racist even today (not openly off course). They have so many issues to raise a peaceful society.

Charredcoal

America and her Stooges are simply panicked looking at their own devilish shadows. The world must stop using dollars to neautralise this rogue western nations.

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Rick Jefferson

Yes! And that is starting to happen.

Maju

A big question that the article does not even deal with: why is the population of Solomon Islands so unruly and restive. That generally only happens when the government is illegitimate one way or the other (autoritarian, only represents some segment of the population, corrupt, etc.)

I don’t know the details but it seems clear to me that if the government of Solomon cannot rule legitimately, via participative consensus, over its own people, then resorting to foreign intervention can only be even worse (and is clearly imperialism anyhow).

And I still hate Australian and US imperialism, authoritarianism and ultra-capitalism and I’m sure they are not any better but I don’t see how allowing China to intervene against your own people in colonialist fashion is of any advantage to the Solomonian people at all, it seems obvious that it is a very negative development. I’d be much less concerned if it was a mere military base agreement really, this is near-annexation to China as described by this very article.

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Kell

Indeed there are big divides in the Solomons, Malaitans etc have always been opposed to Honiara, anyway Australia never has been a colonialist power despite Washington’s and prior London’s urging’s, we gave Papua New Guinea its independence a few years after inheriting administration from the British Australia does not want to be burdened with stone age Melanesian populations and their antics but trys to play a stand off parental role to prevent the harming themselves as much as possible, New Zealand plays good cop in the Pacific Australia plays bad cop and attempts to keep some semblance of order – what of the Solomon’s going to China? As an Australian citizen I say thank God good riddance, if you figure out the hard way what its like to be a Uighur or Tibetan its your own stupid fault, let China deal with you, if it comes to War we will deal with whatever’s left there afterwards.

Chris Gr

UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand should move away from US madness and act on their own

Karl

It seems strange that the same countries who said that Ukraine has a right to “choose” its allies, or in other words self-determination, do not seem to apply that logic to countries who choose to tilt towards perceived rival states, and there’s plenty of historical examples to back it up with.

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