China’s security deal with Solomons raises alarm in Pacific

A security alliance between China and the Solomon Islands has sent shudders throughout the South Pacific, with many worried it could set off a large-scale military buildup or that Western animosity to the deal could play into China's hands.

What remains most unclear is the extent of China's ambitions.

A Chinese military presence in the Solomons would put it not only on the doorstep of Australia and New Zealand but also in close proximity to Guam, with its massive U.S. military bases.

China so far operates just one acknowledged foreign military base, in the impoverished but strategically important Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti. Many believe that China's People's Liberation Army is busy establishing an overseas military network, even if they don't use the term "base."

The Solomon Islands government says a draft of its agreement with China was initialed last week and will be "cleaned up" and signed soon.

The draft, which was leaked online, says that Chinese warships could stop in the Solomons for "logistical replenishment" and that China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomons "to assist in maintaining social order."

The draft agreement specifies China must approve what information is disclosed about joint security arrangements, including at media briefings.

The Solomon Islands, home to about 700,000 people, switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019 _ a move rejected by the most populous province and a contributing factor to riots last November.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded in February by saying that Washington would reopen its embassy in the capital, Honiara, which has been closed since 1993, to increase its influence in the...