Tag: South Pacific

Australia Engaged in ‘Zero Sum’ Game for Influence With China for the Pacific

Centre-right Coalition Senator James Paterson has warned that Australia is engaged in a “zero-sum” game for influence in the Pacific against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Paterson, who is chair of the Australian Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, said the federal government had known for some time that Beijing had “expansive ambitions” for the…


Beijing to Help Expand Solomons Biggest Hospital Amid Influence Battle in South Pacific

In a sign of strong ongoing ties between Beijing and the Solomon Islands governments, officials from both countries have signed-off on the construction of a new medical centre at the National Referral Hospital in the capital Honiara. The hospital is the largest in the Pacific nation with 300 beds and 50 doctors with the new…


US to Do More in the Pacific Amid Concerns Over Beijing-Solomons Security Deal

The Biden administration plans to invite leaders from the Pacific Island nations to the White House in an effort to shore up diplomatic ties in the South Pacific following the signing of a contentious security deal between Beijing and the Solomon Islands. Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell told attendees of the U.S.-New Zealand Business Summit on…


Solomons Playing US and China Off Against Each Other: Diplomacy Expert

The contentious security deal between the Solomon Islands and Beijing is a sign the Pacific nation is exploiting “Great Power” competition between China and democratic allies in the region, according to a diplomacy expert. Joseph Siracusa, adjunct professor of international diplomacy at Curtin University, said smaller nations would play “small power politics” when wedged between…


Reaction to Beijing Security Deal ‘Hysterical’ Suggests Solomons Prime Minister

Embattled Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has sought to justify a contentious security deal with Beijing, saying his government did not react “hysterically” to the AUKUS deal when it was announced. Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has faced scrutiny and pressure over a security pact with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that could lead…


US to Bolster Security Ties With PNG Amid Concerns Over Beijing-Solomons Security Deal

The United States will be looking to increase security ties with Pacific nation Papua New Guinea (PNG)—Australia’s northern neighbour—amid the fallout of a freshly minted agreement between Beijing and the Solomon Islands that could see Chinese troops and weapons stationed in the region. Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state of East Asian and Pacific…


Australian Opposition’s Support for Beijing’s Pacific Ambitions Comes to Light

Just months before Beijing signed a contentious security deal with the Solomon Islands, the Australian Labor Party’s deputy leader, Richard Marles, it has been revealed, advocated for the Chinese regime’s involvement in the Pacific. The comments from Marles, who is the former parliamentary secretary for Pacific Islands Affairs, were unearthed by The Australian newspaper on…


Solomons PM a ‘Proxy’ of Beijing, Allies Should Engage Other Stakeholders: Expert

Australian and U.S. leaders should stop appealing to the Solomon Islands prime minister to change his mind on a contentious security deal with Beijing that could pave the way for militarisation of the region. Instead, one expert on the South Pacific says the focus should be on engaging with stakeholders interested in democracy and weakening…


Beijing Likely to ‘Move Quickly’ to Militarise Solomon Islands: Defence Expert

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will move quickly to establish a “military footprint” in the Solomon Islands after concluding a contentious security deal that opens the door for Beijing to station troops and weapons in the country, according to a defence expert. Australian and U.S. leaders were caught wrong-footed by the emergence of the secret…


Papua New Guinea Could Be Next Target for Beijing Security Pact: Australian PM

The Australian prime minister has hinted that neighbouring Pacific nation Papua New Guinea has faced similar “pressure” from Beijing to agree to a security agreement like the Solomon Islands. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been busy defending Australia’s engagement with the South Pacific after the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on April 19 that it had…