The Biden administration is sending State Department and Pentagon officials to the Solomon Islands amid concerns that the South Pacific nation is cementing a security alliance with China that could prove detrimental to its traditional partners — the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
The delegation to the Solomon Islands will include representatives from the National Security Council and the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to a statement released over the weekend by the White House.
The itinerary includes stops in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, where delegates will “seek to further deepen our enduring ties with the region” and “advance a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific,” White House officials said.
The delegation is expected to meet with senior officials during the visit to “ensure our partnerships deliver prosperity, security and peace across the Pacific Islands and the Indo-Pacific,” officials said.
Last month, the U.S. delivered more than 52,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to the Solomon Islands, which will contribute to fully vaccinating more than 26,000 people. It follows a previous shipment in November of more than 100,000 doses donated by the U.S. government, officials said.
Officials in the Solomon Islands have sought to ease fears over their new Chinese partnership by insisting they won’t allow Beijing to build a military base on their territory.
The U.S. delegation will consult with senior military officials in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command during a stop in Hawaii and meet with representatives of the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji, officials said.