By Humeyra Pamuk

NADI Fiji (Reuters). -The United States will be opening an embassy to Solomon Islands. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced this Saturday, as he committed additional diplomatic and security resources in the Pacific against China’s desire for more influence.

Blinken, a virtual summit of Pacific Islands Forum leaders in Fiji, heard their complaints about climate change and the urgency of real action.

Blinken said that Fiji, and the Pacific Island countries are a crucial part of the Indo-Pacific Region. He spoke at a press conference together with Aiyaz Syed-Khaiyu, Fiji’s Acting Prime Minster.

Sayed-Khaiyu observed that Fiji and other Pacific countries were the protectors of the biggest ocean continent in the globe, which is crucial for the well-being of all people.

He said that Fiji and its small-state neighbors have sometimes felt, to use an American expression, like a flyover nation.

“Small dots detected from planes full of leaders en route for meetings where they spoke with us more than about us,” he stated, noting that the United States hopes this visit marks the beginning of a closer relationship between the Pacific and America.

Blinken flew from the United States to Fiji following a Melbourne meeting between the United States of America, Japan and India. The so-called Quad announced that they would deepen cooperation to ensure Indo-Pacific is not subject to “coercion.” This was an indirect swipe at China’s militaristic and economic growth.

It is not a matter of us being present, arriving here, or being focused on security. Blinken stated that it is much deeper than that. We see this area as the one for the future when we look at it.

CHINA’S MILITARY PUSH

A senior U.S. official stated that there were clear signs that China wanted to establish military relations in the Pacific.

The Solomon Islands are the most urgent case. The official stated that China’s security forces are supporting an increasingly under sieged president, causing a lot anxiety in the region.

In 2019, Solomon Islands switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China.

After Manasseh Sogavare, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands refused to meet with protesters from Malaita Province who were opposed to the switch to Beijing diplomatic relations in Beijing, violent protests broke out in Honiara capital in Solomon Islands in November.

Around 200 officers and soldiers came from Australia and New Zealand to Honiara in the wake of the riots. Sogavare requested that this be done.

Sogavare, Malaita’s most populous provincial, accused Malaita of being Taiwan’s agent. He was able to survive a motion of no confidence in parliament in December.

China also sent Chinese police advisors to Solomons in order to assist with the training of police officers and their equipment (including shields and helmets).

INDO-PAC STRATEGY

Blinken’s Fiji visit was the first in forty-years by an American secretary of state. It came shortly after the Biden administration published a strategy overview on the Indo-Pacific, in which they pledged to increase diplomatic and security support to that region in order to fight back against China.

The document contained an action plan that Washington will “meaningfully increase” its diplomatic presence and priority negotiations with Pacific Island states. These key negotiations would cover access to the U.S military.

Richard Clark was a spokesperson for President Federated States of Micronesia. He told Reuters there were still significant progresses to be made in the talks with Washington.