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Sogavare raised anxiety levels in Washington and Canberra Sogavare has positioned the relationship with China
when his government signed a security deal with China in as South-South cooperation, telling the United Nations
March 2022, and a Police Cooperation Implementation Plan in General Assembly in September: “We acknowledge and
July of this year. value South-South cooperation because it is less restrictive,
more responsive and is aligned to our national needs. We
Delayed election applaud the People’s Republic of China for their initiative in
In an unprecedented decision, Solomon Islands’ parliament accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through
voted to delay the national election by a year, to April 2024. their Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative,
Sogavare argued in parliament at that time that the Solomon Global Security Initiative and Global Civilisation Initiative.”
Islands could not host the Pacific Games and an election in These deepening ties have spurred reaction and action from
such close proximity. other partners and had ripple effects across the wider Pacific
“We cannot afford to present a country that is politically region.
unstable,” he said. The United States is re-engaging after many years, opening
Dr Tarcisius Kabutualaka of the University of Hawaii a new embassy in Honiara on February 1 and announcing the
believes Sogavare has used the “China relationship to access re-establishment of the Peace Corps program almost 20 years
infrastructure development that could constitute valuable after its closure. However progress on getting Peace Corps on
political capital for the next national elections.” the ground has been slow, with Al Jazeera reporting that “the
Indeed, Solomon Islands leveraged its membership of Peace Corps continues to miss deadlines to secure funding
the BRI in the lead-up to the Pacific Games to access from the US Congress to support its work in the Solomon
infrastructure investment from China, with the main Islands. Just $500 was allocated for the programme’s work in
stadium and other sporting facilities built by the China Civil the archipelago of about 700,000 people for the fiscal year
Engineering Construction Corporation and China Harbor 2024.”
Engineering Company. Australia increased its already considerable engagement
Former Deputy Secretary to Sogavare and Australian with Solomon Islands by contributing A$17 million to support
National University (ANU) scholar, Derek Futaiasi, said the Pacific Games, and delivering police vehicles and rifles
Solomon Islands’ diplomatic switch from Taipei to Beijing to Solomon Islands only weeks after Solomon Islands police
speaks well of Sogavare’s ‘dynamic intellectual acumen’. officers travelled to China to undergo training for the first
“Honiara’s diplomatic shift brings Beijing with its might time in November 2022.
in infrastructure development for the 17th Pacific Games Amidst this renewed attention, Sogavare has also resisted
2023. Sogavare’s tactical move must be commended, for he the urge to accept every invitation from new, old and re-
undertook it at the right time for the proper socio-economic engaging partners.
purposes.” He did not attend this year’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders
China is also enabling construction of 161 towers under Meeting in Cook Islands because of his responsibilities ahead
the Solomon Islands National Broadband Infrastructure of the Pacific Games.
Project (SINBIP), aimed at improving and modernising Nor was he at this year’s Pacific Leaders Summit hosted by
telecommunication and internet services in the country. the United States President, Joe Biden, in Washington, saying
The SINBIP is fully funded with a concessional loan of domestic affairs were of a higher priority, and that a previous
approximately US$65 million from the Exim Bank of China at a such summit did not have the expected outcomes.
1% interest rate.
Speaking at the recent groundbreaking ceremony, Sogavare Security
declared that “misinformation” and “scare-mongering” When Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, toured seven
such “debt-trap” rhetoric would not deter his Government’s Pacific countries that China has diplomatic relations with
development agenda. last year, he failed in efforts to get them to sign-up to a
multilateral economic and security agreement and five-
Good friends and good brothers year action plan. Instead, Pacific leaders stated that they
Meeting Sogavare in Beijing in July this year, Chinese would prefer to consider the proposal under the auspices of
President Xi Jinping described China and Solomon Islands as the Pacific Islands Forum, of which 16 island countries are
good friends and good brothers, that can trust and rely on members, along with Australia and New Zealand.
each other. That push-back demonstrates that there are limits to what
For his part, Sogavare told outgoing Peoples’ Republic of China can achieve.
China (PRC) ambassador to Solomon Islands, Li Ming, that as In July, Sogavare signed a new Police Cooperation
a least developing country, Solomon Islands’ greatest need is Implementation Plan (PCIP) with China, which will upskill,
development and not geo-politicking. build and enhance the capability and capacity of the 1500
At Ming’s farewell, he said while Solomon Islands is far police officers, according to a government statement.
behind schedule in reaching its Sustainable Development Concerned reactions from the US and Australia saw
Goals, the addition of the Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) as Sogavare describe them as ‘unneighbourly.”
a development partner has bring new hope. “China has not invaded or colonised any other foreign

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