Solomon Islands To Sign US Coast Guard Patrol Deal Despite Close Security Ties With China

The Solomon Islands will sign an agreement next week allowing the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol its waters with local police officers on board, Prime Minister Matthew Wale said during a visit to Washington, as the Pacific island nation strengthens maritime cooperation with the United States despite its close security ties with China.

The planned “ship-rider agreement” comes as the United States steps up its engagement in the Pacific, where China has expanded its influence in recent years following a security pact with the Solomon Islands signed in 2022.

The agreement, which will be signed in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara, is aimed at improving joint maritime enforcement and surveillance, according to a statement from the Solomon Islands government.

During his visit, Wale met U.S. Coast Guard Vice Commandant Admiral Thomas Allan and later held talks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

According to a U.S. State Department statement, Wale and Landau also signed a Letter of Intent to bring the Peace Corps back to the Solomon Islands.

The two leaders discussed investment opportunities, including the proposed development of a tuna processing factory at Bina Harbour. The project had previously attracted Chinese interest, raising concerns in Australia over its possible dual-use potential.

The State Department also announced an additional $6 million to expand its unexploded ordnance removal programme in the Solomon Islands. Landau said he hoped to visit the country to see sites linked to the two nations’ shared World War Two history.

The Solomon Islands government said Wale stressed the need to improve security across the Pacific, citing growing threats from drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Under ship-rider agreements, local law enforcement officers board U.S. Coast Guard vessels and can carry out inspections and enforcement activities within their country’s waters.

The U.S. Coast Guard has expanded these patrols across the South Pacific in recent years.

In 2024, Pacific police officers serving as ship riders boarded Chinese fishing vessels in the waters of Vanuatu and Kiribati. China protested after some of the vessels were found to have breached fishing regulations.

The Solomon Islands has an exclusive economic zone of about 1.5 million square kilometres, with tuna fishing one of its main industries.

The agreement comes as the Solomon Islands continues to balance relations with both Washington and Beijing.

The country switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019 before signing a security agreement with Beijing in 2022. China said the pact was intended to promote peace and stability, but it raised concerns in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Earlier this month, China reaffirmed its support for the Solomon Islands after Beijing conducted a missile test over international waters in the South Pacific on July 6.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would continue supporting the Solomon Islands’ sovereignty, independence and development path during a meeting with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Rick Houenipwela.

Wale had earlier lodged a “strong protest” with Chinese diplomats on behalf of Pacific nations over the missile test.

Commenting on the planned U.S. agreement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China and the Solomon Islands shared a comprehensive strategic partnership.

He said China supports international efforts to help Pacific island countries achieve sustainable development, but added that cooperation should respect their independence, focus on development and should not target any third party.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington called the agreement “a bilateral issue between the Solomon Islands and the United States” and declined further comment.

The United States has signed ship-rider agreements with more than 12 Pacific island countries, including the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, as it continues to expand maritime security cooperation across the Pacific.

References: scmp, defensepost