The Albany Gazette - China ally Solomon Islands invites US Coast Guard patrols

The Solomons became China's closest security partner in the South Pacific after signing a secret security pact in 2022, blocking a US Coast Guard vessel from making a port call the same year.

Wale, who pledged to bring change after he was elected in May, met with US Coast Guard vice commandant Admiral Thomas Allan in Washington on Monday.

He also met with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on deepening bilateral ties, said a State Department readout.

A "ship rider agreement" will be signed in the capital Honiara next week to strengthen joint maritime enforcement and surveillance, a Solomon Islands statement said.

"Prime Minister Wale highlighted the urgent need to enhance security across the Pacific region, noting the increasing threats of drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing," it added.

The US Coast Guard has expanded patrols of the South Pacific in recent years, assisting "ship riders" -- local Pacific police -- to cover millions of kilometres of ocean to inspect for illegal fishing fleets.

Ship riders on a US Coast Guard vessel boarded Chinese fishing boats in Vanuatu and Kiribati in 2024, prompting Chinese officials to protest when some vessels were found to be fishing illegally.

The Solomons has a vast 1.5 million square kilometre exclusive economic zone and like many South Pacific countries counts tuna fishing as a major industry.

James Batley, a former Australian diplomat in the Solomons, said the US Coast Guard deal was a significant shift and showed Wale was acting on his pledge to deliver change.

"There is a lot of anxiety around the Pacific about transnational criminal movement of drugs, with 'narco subs' turning up in Solomon Islands, so I think the US could mount a persuasive case they could help on that front," he said.

Wales' meeting with Landau included talks of potential investment, including Bina Harbour, where the Solomons wants to develop a factory to process tuna for export.

Reported Chinese interest in developing Bina Harbour has previously sparked concern from Australia about the potential it could be used as a dual-purpose military and civilian port.

Wale and Landau signed a letter of intent to return Peace Corps to Solomon Islands, the State Department readout said, adding that it would provide $6 million in new funding to widen its unexploded ordnance removal program.

Wale will next travel to Tokyo to meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, his office said.

(B.Ramirez--TAG)