The newly signed China-Solomon Islands security agreement aims to isolate the United States and its regional allies, according to the former intelligence director of the US Pacific Fleet.
Under the controversial agreement signed last week, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with the consent of the Solomon Islands, dispatched police, troops, weapons, and even naval vessels to “Chinese personnel and major projects. You can “keep it safe”. Solomon Islands “, based on a page leaked from the document.
When fully implemented, the framework agreement will give China the ability to extend its reach beyond the South China Sea to the South Pacific region and cut off routes and air routes between the United States and its allies Australia and New Zealand. To James Funnel, former United States Pacific Fleet intelligence and information operations director.
The Solomon Islands occupy a strategic position in the Pacific Ocean, less than 1,200 miles from Australia.
Both China and the Solomon Islands have denied allowing the island to station troops in Beijing as a result of the agreement. However, in Funnel’s view, the agreement allowed Chinese troops to stop by Solomon when refueling and repairs were needed, which he described as “the beginning of a sort of base.”
“This was the first stepping stone for the People’s Republic of China to be able to fully operate warships and warships from within the South China Sea,” Funnel recently told Epoch TV’s “China Insider” program. The name of the administration.
Given the strategic location of the island in the South Pacific, the presence of China in Solomon would benefit Beijing by hampering the ability of the United States and its allies to respond in the region in Taiwan’s aggression scenario. Said. The Chinese government considers autonomous Taiwan to be part of its territory and will be forcibly seized if necessary.
“If China could establish a series of bases … as an iron rod across the South Pacific, it would essentially be separated from Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and from Australia and Japan,” he said. ..
In such a scenario, according to Funnel, the regime could eventually dismantle the Indo-Pacific, a US network of partners in Japan, Australia and New Zealand, where it could expand its own influence.
Year of neglect
Western nations, including the United States and Great Britain, have historically deep ties to the island nations of the South Pacific, according to Funnel. During World War II, thousands of American, British, and Australian soldiers died in the struggle to free the island from the Japanese occupation.
But for the past decade or so, he said, Western nations have ignored the region and left people in poverty without providing the necessary support. This paved the way for the Chinese government to fill the void and provide support.
“They have a lot of natural resources, but they don’t have a lot of infrastructure and development that can benefit from their own resources. And they really need some help. And China has entered and provided a guarantee, “Fannel said.
However, in his view, the people of the Solomon Islands, mostly Christians, do not support communist China.
“They just want to have freedom, they want to take ownership of their land, they want to have the rule of law and respect. They want to be influenced by communist nations like the Chinese Communist Party. No, “Funell said.
Last year, the country was shaken by riots resulting from peaceful protests partially triggered by the government’s growing relations with Beijing.
Therefore, according to Flannel, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Taiwan, and Japan need to work together to provide these island nation development projects that allow these countries to control their destiny.
He believed that the people of the Solomon Islands, in contrast to the Chinese Communist Party, were obedient to offers from like-minded nations.
Flannel emphasized that Washington and its allies should act swiftly. Otherwise, “China may expel influence from the United States and its South Pacific within 15 years.”
“Every day we’re late is another day when the Chinese Communist Party sneaks into their nails and digs deeper,” he said.
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David Zhang is the host of EpochTV’s China Insider. He is currently based in New York and Washington, DC, covering news related to China. He focuses on expert interviews and news commentary on issues related to China, especially Sino-US relations.