The Alliance in Action in the Solomon Islands
Australian and American efforts to build on shared history
Editor’s Note: The Solomon Islands, a strategic gateway to Australia and the historic site of the Battle of Guadalcanal from August 1942 - February 1943, has been at the center of a tug-of-war between China and the Western powers in the Pacific Islands region. econVue Non-Resident Fellow Eleanor Shiori Hughes visited the Solomons last year, meeting with defense experts and local officials. In this report, she concludes that there is more to the story than simply curbing Chinese influence in the Solomons.
*PDF of the full report below ⬇️*
Executive Summary
Over the past few years, the Pacific Islands region has attracted a surge of diplomatic and media attention because China holds ambitious goals to expand its diplomatic and economic clout within this critically important region. This can be attributed to a confluence of factors, which is why the United States and its allies are closely observing the increasingly assertive Chinese influence in Oceania, particularly in the Solomon Islands, a small island country located in the subregion of Melanesia.
In March 2022, Australian and American officials were caught off guard when a draft of a framework agreement between the Solomon Islands (hereafter referred to as the Solomons) and China was shared online just about a month before the two countries formalized a bilateral security cooperation agreement.1 At first glance, Canberra and Washington were blindsided by this development because the pact heightened concerns that China is creating a pathway to anchor a permanent military presence in a Pacific Island country that is geographically close to Australia.2
Given this diplomatic setback, there is an impression that present-day American and Australian engagement with the Solomons is primarily shaped by considerations revolving around China. This perception is both plausible and understandable, but there is also more than meets the eye. Last November, I had the rare opportunity to visit Honiara, the capital of the Solomons. Honiara sits on the island of Guadalcanal, which is ripe with history because it is where the United States and its allies won a decisive naval battle during World War II against formidable Japanese forces.3
💬 Australia and the United States have a storied history with the Solomons that long predates Honiara’s recent tilt toward China.
While in Guadalcanal, I was constantly reminded of the outsized role the island played to alter the course of the war for the United States and its allies in the Pacific theater because the remnants of the war linger on to this day. More to the point, Australia and the United States have a storied history with the Solomons that long predates Honiara’s recent tilt towards China.
In this context, this commentary sheds light on the approaches that Australia and the United States are pursuing to elevate the Solomons’ nation-building endeavors—namely on defense and infrastructural initiatives. I begin by providing an overview of how the Solomons figure into an increasingly contested security environment over the past few years. The next two sections explore Australia and the United States’ engagement with the Pacific; both countries’ respective bilateral relations with the Solomons; and how they are partnering with the island nation to enhance its capacity-building mechanisms. Finally, this piece concludes by circling back to my personal observations from my trip to Honiara, and why the foreign policy narrative regarding the Solomons should reflect a deeper understanding and appreciation of other factors at play that are not solely centered around curbing Chinese influence.
📍Arlington, VA
More by Eleanor Hughes
🎤 The Hughes News Podcast on econVue
For Episode 5, Eleanor is joined by her friend Latika Bourke, the Writer-at-Large for The Nightly, an Australian-based media outlet. They talked about disaster resilience, Latika’s experiences reporting on Australia’s federal election earlier this year, the necessity for Australia to raise defense spending, and the state of the Middle East.
Episode 4 with Dr. Michael Green and Lyric Hughes Hale
For Episode 4, Eleanor had an intellectually stimulating conversation with two people who have been instrumental in shaping her professional trajectory: Dr. Michael Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre, and Lyric Hughes Hale, editor-in-chief of econVue. The three of them talked about Trump’s tariffs; Australia’s proposition to tax unrealized capital gains for super funds; and the extent to which Japan and Australia would get involved in a potential Taiwan contingency.
For episode 3, Eleanor Hughes asked her friend Douveri, the CEO and founder of Legacy Group, to share his wealth of knowledge about his home country: Papua New Guinea (PNG). Douveri gave a comprehensive breakdown of PNG’s five political regions; its multifaceted relationship with its traditional and emerging partners; and the role of the private sector and tech innovation.
Episode 2 featuring Stephen Dziedzic (Part 2)
Stephen Dziedzic returned to the podcast just a few weeks after recording the first episode for the Hughes News. He and Eleanor discussed China’s live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea, Australia’s federal elections, the Cook Islands’ new comprehensive strategic partnership with China, and the state of the AUKUS partnership.
Episode 1 featuring Stephen Dziedzic (Part 1) - Soft-launching a new Podcast
Eleanor launched a new podcast series called the Hughes News via econVue’s Substack platform. For her first episode, Eleanor asked Stephen Dziedzic from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to talk about their mutual areas of interest like Australia’s foreign policy and the strategic importance of the Pacific Islands region.
Off econVue
US and Australian efforts to bolster people-to-people ties with the Pacific Islands, United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, Nov 2024.
In this policy brief, Eleanor Hughes argues that Australia and the United States should work in concert to foster people-to-people exchanges in the Pacific and bolster US staying power in the region. This brief’s recommendations share a common goal: to bolster US visibility in the Pacific Islands, a move that would be welcomed by Australia and Pacific stakeholders who have long called for greater US engagement in the region.
William Lai has Big Shoes to Fill to Sustain Momentum in Japan - Taiwan Relations, Australian Institute of International Affairs, Jul 2024.
In this piece, Eleanor Hughes underscores that Taiwanese President Lai has big shoes to fill when it comes to enhancing Japan-Taiwan relations because his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, will prove a tough act to follow. A key question is if the new Taiwanese leadership under will be able to sustain the momentum behind this partnership.
Japan and Taiwan: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same Institute for Security & Development Policy, Apr 2024.
Japan and Taiwan are adapting to a new normal of deepening ties, albeit in an unofficial capacity, and a lot of ground has already been covered over the past few years to foster bilateral cooperation and promote shared democratic values. Both polities are weathering many geopolitical and geo-economic uncertainties in concert, and it is safe to say that the momentum weaving them closer together will endure for years to come.
Footnotes
Patricia O’Brien, “The ‘Framework Agreement’ with China Transforms the Solomon Islands into a Pacific Flashpoint,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, March 31, 2022, available at: https://www.csis.org/analysis/framework-agreement-china-transforms-solomon-islands-pacific-flashpoint; Government Communications Unit, “Solomon Islands - China Security Cooperation Signed,” Solomon Islands Government, April 20, 2022, available at: https://solomons.gov.sb/solomon-islands-china-security-cooperation-signed/.
Kirsty Needham and Martin Quin Pollard, “U.S. concerned after China says it signs security pact with Solomon Islands,” Reuters, April 19, 2022, available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/chinese-officials-travel-solomon-islands-sign-agreements-parliament-told-2022-04-19/.
Naval History and Heritage Command, “Naval Battle of Guadalcanal,” National Museum of the U.S. Navy, available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwii/wwii-pacific/wwii-pacific-guadalancanal/naval-battles/naval-battle-guadalcanal.html.
This is an excellent analysis! Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand what’s happening in the Solomons and the wider implications. Congrats Eleanor.