It's so embarrassing that the United States actually ate "closed door soup" in the Solomon Islands!
On the 26th local time, Lieutenant Cam, the representative of the US Coast Guard in Hawaii, revealed that a ship named "Oliver Henry" of the force, when it applied to enter the port of the Solomon Islands for refueling and replenishment, has never received an official response from the Solomon Islands.
In other words, the U.S. Coast Guard vessel was denied entry into the Solomon Islands in disguise.
Let's briefly introduce the events.
U.S. Coast Guard
It turned out that the vessel was conducting "illegal fishing patrols" in the South Pacific, based on a fisheries agreement signed by the Pacific Islands Forum, which provided that Australia, the United States, New Zealand and France could assist in monitoring illegal fishing.
As for the Solomon Islands, which is one of the 13 members of the forum, the U.S. Coast Guard considers the refueling and resupply of its vessels in the Solomon Islands to be a "routine stopover."
But this time, the Solomon Islands government did not respond to the DIPLOMATIC REQUEST of the United States, and the Oliver Henry had to travel to neighboring Papua New Guinea for refueling and replenishment. Afterwards, the U.S. State Department claimed to be in contact with the Solomon Islands government to ensure that the U.S. vessel was granted diplomatic clearance.
Although the US side has shown a light attitude on this, this matter is obviously not so simple.
After all, although the Solomon Islands are far from the U.S. mainland, they are not far from the U.S. military bases in Australia and New Zealand, and it is reasonable to say that there is no "hanging" on the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden
The key is to pay attention to the following 3 details.
First, it was not only the U.S. Coast Guard vessel that was "rejected" this time, but also a British naval patrol ship called HMS Spey. On the latter ships, there are not only officers of the Fijian Navy, but also long-range maritime patrol aircraft from Australia and New Zealand.
Such a complex combination is inevitably heart-wrenching, not to mention that the port where the two British and American ships applied to dock is located in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands.
What many people don't know is that the Solomon Islands were previously known as the "British Protectorate" until 1978, when they achieved independence and are now a member of the British Commonwealth. It can be seen that the Solomon Islands government's snub of the British side is actually more unexpected than "hanging" the United States.
Second, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji are all members of the Pacific Islands Forum, the British Commonwealth is a special observer of the Forum, and the United States is a dialogue partner. And the Solomon Islands, which is also a member of the Forum, "dissatisfied" with the Forum?
The Pacific Islands Forum was originally 18 members
This is not surprising, because on February 9 last year, Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Palau, five countries, together withdrew from the Pacific Islands Forum. At the time, Kiribati President Ma Mao said the reasons for leaving included the wanton meddling of the United States and its allies in regional affairs.
Since the solomon islands established diplomatic relations with China in 2019, the United States and Australia and other countries have stepped up their interference in the internal affairs of the country, and even instigated riots through proxies in an attempt to oust Prime Minister Sogavare from power. In particular, the Australian side, which has long regarded the Solomon Islands as its own backyard, has publicly shouted in some of its domestic media: "We must be prepared to invade the Solomon Islands." ”
In the face of such threats, Sogavare has publicly stated that it is "very insulting" and no one can guarantee that solomon Islands will not "retreat indignantly".
Third, after the signing of the security agreement, the United States and Australia were greatly panicked. It should be noted that the geographical location of the Solomon Islands is too important, it is not only an important part of the "Northern Island Chain around Australia", but also located in the only way through the Australian-Us route, guarding Australia's maritime lifeline.
Prime Minister Albanes of Australia
In addition, as the gateway to Oceania, solomon islands are like an "unsinkable aircraft carrier" in the Pacific Ocean, clamping down on the MIDWAY Naval Base of the United States and the Guam Base of the US Military in Japan. As we all know, the turning point of the Pacific Theater of World War II was located in the capital Honiara.
In short, the situation in the Solomon Islands has undergone a major turn in the past two years, with western media believing that the country's relations with the United States and its allies have been strained recently, although the United States and the West believe that they have increased their efforts to co-opt the Solomon Islands.
For example, both the United States and Australia have tried to increase economic assistance to the Solomon Islands, and the two countries have also sent delegations to visit the Solomon Islands.
Just from the 6th to the 8th of this month, US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman also led a delegation to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Guadalcanal Campaign that took place here ( World War II ) , trying to play a "sentiment card". Interestingly, Prime Minister Sogavare did not attend the event that day, and the government did not give any explanation afterwards.
Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Sogavare
Such an "indifferent" response is very similar to the current incident in which British and American ships are "refused" to dock.
Why is that?
The reason is simple, because the United States and its allies are "not pure in purpose." The Biden administration, for example, announced in June that it would form a South Pacific "united front" with like-minded countries to counter Chinese influence in the region.
As for the foothold of this policy, it is still the so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy" of the US side, which is obviously a routine for Washington to instigate geopolitical struggle and seize the opportunity to grab benefits. Most ironically, White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator Campbell himself admitted that the United States "can't come up with money" in this framework agreement.
Relying only on empty vernacular, rather than real money and silver, the United States wants to continue to be the "leader of the South Pacific" with allies such as Australia, which is inevitably a bit whimsical.
In the final analysis, international relations still put interests first, but at the same time, we must "exchange sincerity for sincerity." Who is helping them develop and who is interfering in their internal affairs, the South Pacific countries actually see it very clearly.
Finally, I would like to advise the United States and the West: Correct our mentality and respect other countries, otherwise the clarion call of "anti-America" will become louder and louder.