China and Solomon Islands sign security deal
China has signed a security deal with the Solomon Islands just days ahead of a visit by senior U.S government officials to the South Pacific country, exacerbating western fears over Beijing’s growing influence in the
Senior U.S officials visits Solomon Islands this week
White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell and the U.S Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, will lead a delegation to Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea
Australia asks PM Sogavare to avoid security deal
Australia Minister Zed Seselja met with Prime Minister Sogavare in Honiara, in light of the proposed China-Solomon Islands security
Solomon Islands PM assures no Chinese military base
Amid a regional backlash, the Solomon Islands said it would not allow a Chinese military base in the Pacific islands nation despite its plans to sign a security pact with Beijing. Following the initialling of a draft
Australia hands over Blackrock as China concerns re-emerge
The opening of the Blackrock Camp in Nadi this month signified the culmination of “close to a A$100 million investment” by the Australian government designed to support Fiji’s peacekeeping and humanitarian
Solomon Islands PM says China security deal ‘ready for signing’
Solomon Islands' PM says a contentious security agreement with Beijing was “ready for
Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context
A draft MOU between Honiara and Beijing on security related issues has sparked international headlines and worried response from
US labels Pacific Islands a climate ‘region of concern’
By Nic Maclellan A major assessment by US intelligence agencies lists the Pacific islands as one of two “regions of great concern” in the world, because of the adverse effects of climate change. The assessment of
Pacific Islands in the wake of AUKUS
By Kaliopate Tavola Australia also needs to temper its geopolitics under Indo-Pacific/AUKUS to allow breathing space for PICs to determine their respective China, et al, policies. This would necessarily mean a
AUKUS disrupts “a very peaceful part of planet earth”
With anti-nuclear sentiment on the rise across the islands, the Morrison government’s nuclear submarine ambitions have undercut the prime minister’s claim to be part of the Pacific family. “The sense of a regional
Australia to arm PNG patrol boats
The Australian Department of Defence has announced it will arm the Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s four new Guardian-class Patrol Boats. The equipment will be delivered through the Pacific Maritime Security Programme
Now is the time for an independent Pacific foreign policy and security think tank
Good foreign policy, diplomacy and sound national security in the Pacific Islands doesn’t just require solid ideas and good plans. It needs robust evidence of what works and a level of informed public debate on what
A Humanitarian Corridor for the Pacific?
Reflecting the growing concern over the Coronavirus pandemic, the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and Tuvalu Prime Minister, Kausea Natano, invoked a few days ago the Biketawa Declaration, a security
Solomon Islands after RAMSI
ON June 30 the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) came to an end. Established in July, 2003, RAMSI has been a feature of life in Solomon Islands for more than a third of its history as an independent