The Australian Labor government’s decision to gift weapons and armoured vehicles to the Solomons government has been branded “ill-conceived and dangerous” by Pacific expert Cleo Paskal, saying the move is pushing the country one step closer towards civil war. On Nov. 2, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) delivered training and around $1.3 million (US$740,000) worth…

Australia’s diplomatic representative to the Solomon Islands has announced an extra $US103 million in aid to the Pacific country as part of an ongoing diplomatic offensive against Beijing’s influence with the Sogavare government. Australian High Commissioner Lachlan Strahan said the package will include support for health, education, governance, elections among several other initiatives, reported RNZ on Oct. 31….

Beijing is pumping more money into new developments in the Solomon Islands and Kiribati as “COVID-Zero” policies pummel the Chinese economy. While Chinese aid flows to the overall Pacific region declined from 2016 to 2021, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has upped its investment in the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, which switched allegiances from Taiwan…

The Solomon Islands has dispatched 32 officers to China for training in policing techniques and to improve their understanding of Chinese culture. The officers will visit different police stations in China during the visit, according to a statement from the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force obtained by Reuters. Officers will stay in the country for…

A leading security expert has questioned the Solomon Islands Prime Minister’s latest claim that Australia remains the country’s top security partner over China. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare would not be able to withstand any pressure from Beijing, according to Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). “I don’t think Sogavare’s going to…

The United States needs to ramp up diplomatic ties with Freely Associated States (FAS)—Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia—to restrict Beijing’s expansionism in the Pacific region, according to a new report. The United States Institute for Peace said Beijing saw Pacific nations as a “low-investment, high-reward” opportunity. “China has not focused on the FAS in its…

France has reaffirmed its role as a Pacific power after the French armed forces completed a demonstration of long-distance air power projection. The force projection, code-named Mission Pégase 22, saw a contingent of the French Air Force travel from Paris to New Caledonia in just 72 hours over 16,600 kilometres (10,315 miles) demonstrating the France’s…

The Pacific nation of Vanuatu will go to the polls next month after the Parliament was dissolved so that Prime Minister Bob Loughman could avoid a no-confidence vote. Loughman has faced pressure for months after attempting to change the Constitution to extend his government’s term limit, the move also comes amid an ongoing influence push…

The Solomon Islands government has successfully delayed the country’s national elections, effectively extending the term of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare who has moved quickly to leverage deepening ties with Beijing to solidify his power. The vote passed with 37 out of the Parliament’s 50 MPs in support. This comes after a report last year revealed…

The government of Kiribati has suspended another three judges—this time members of the Court of Appeal—after they blocked attempts to deport High Court Judge David Lambourne. The situation plunges the small Pacific nation’s democracy into crisis, leaving it without a functioning Appeals and High Court, and continues a tumultuous few weeks for the South Pacific—already…