Solomon Islands defers signing of declaration amid historic US-Pacific summit, seeks more time

United States President Joe Biden and his government are in the midst of hosting a landmark summit at the White House with the Pacific island nations to bolster ties. However, the Solomon Islands have deferred signing the draft of the US-led agreement.

This comes amid weeks of negotiations on a joint agreement to strengthen ties between the Pacific Islands and the US and ahead of the high-profile presidential summit to be hosted by Washington. The summit which starts on Wednesday has also been called “unprecedented” by US officials as this would be the first time the White House would host the Pacific Island leaders.

According to US officials, leaders from strategic archipelagos will be attending including representatives of two French territories and the US territory of Guam. Everyone from the cabinet secretaries to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been invited including the head of the US Coast Guard which reportedly maintains a security presence in the Pacific.

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Leaders from Fiji, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia, will be attending the summit, said the White House. Meanwhile, island nations Vanuatu and Nauru will be sending representatives and Australia and New Zealand are attending as observers.

This summit is partly seen as an attempt by the US to strengthen ties and intensify its presence in the Pacific countries amid China’s growing engagement in the region. Additionally, earlier this year, the Solomon Islands signed a security agreement with Beijing which reportedly came as a shock to the diplomatic community in US and Australia. However, the country’s leader Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has denied the possibility of allowing China to establish a military base or presence on the island.

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Currently, Washington is dealing with a major blow after the Solomon Islands has reportedly deferred signing the document. The 11-point declaration between the country will provide a framework for US engagement in the region as it moves forward to increase its diplomatic, development and commercial presence in the region, the ABC reported.

According to the Guardian, the Solomon Islands addressed a note to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, saying that they need time to reflect and discuss and they will not be in a position to adopt the declaration this week. There is no clear indication of why the island nation has decided to hold off on signing the pact.

Meanwhile, other Pacific nations have welcomed the US’s engagement in the region, while asserting that it will be done on their terms, said the local media. On the other hand, the President of Federated States of Micronesia, David Panuelo, has indicated that it was a “very involved process” while speaking about the agreement.

According to a report by ABC, this declaration will cover topics ranging from climate change to the legacy of nuclear testing, there are also provisions for economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, security and illegal fishing. However, government and media sources have stressed that negotiations are underway and these aspects are just a broad framework of issues discussed for intensified US engagement in the Pacific and it is likely subject to change.

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According to the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, during the summit, Biden is set to discuss, “our broadening and deepened cooperation on key issues such as climate change, pandemic and economic recovery, maritime security, environmental protection, and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific”.

This draft has also been compared to the regional economic and security deal proposed by China earlier this year, which was later rejected by the 10 Pacific Island leaders. The deal was extremely detailed with committing sums of money, and programs, including the number of Chinese art troupes that will be sent for a cultural exchange program. In terms of security, Beijing would have expanded the training of police forces, and constructed labs for fingerprint testing, drugs, forensic autopsy, and so on.

(With inputs from agencies)