【Text/Observer Network Liu Chenghui】
The U.S. Star-Spangled Banner newspaper said on August 25 that the Solomon Islands government recently rejected a "routine" call from a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat that had to be diverted to Papua New Guinea for replenishment. The report also exaggerated that this further raised concerns about the Solomon Islands' support for China and severing ties with the United States.
Screenshot of the US Star-Spangled Banner report
According to reports, Kristin Kam, a spokesman for the 14th District of the US Coast Guard stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, revealed in an email on the 25th that the Coast Guard patrol boat "Oliver Henry" was originally planned to "routinely" call for supplies on Guadalcanal island in the Solomon Islands, but the side did not respond to the US government's request.
"The Solomon Islands government did not respond to the U.S. government's request for diplomatic clearance to allow the boat to refuel and resupply at Honiara (the capital of the Solomon Islands, on Guadalcanal)," he said. As a result, 'Oliver Henry' diverted to Papua New Guinea to refuel and resupply. ”
On 23 August, the "Oliver Henry" arrived in Papua New Guinea for a visit (Star-Spangled Banner photo)
However, On the grounds of "operational safety", Kam did not disclose the specific date on which the patrol boat was scheduled to dock in the Solomon Islands. "The U.S. Department of State is engaging with the Solomon Islands government and expects all port calls for U.S. vessels to be approved in the future," he added. ”
According to a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, the "Oliver Henry" arrived in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on the 23rd.
News of the refusal of the U.S. Coast Guard vessel to dock was also confirmed by Reuters.
A spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard told Reuters in an email that the Oliver Henry was monitoring illegal fishing in the South Pacific at the time, but later failed to enter the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, to supply and instead sailed to Papua New Guinea.
Reuters also revealed that along with the US patrol boat, which was rejected by the Solomon Islands, there was also the British Navy's River-class maritime patrol ship HMS Spey. Last month, the British Ministry of Defence announced that from the end of August, Britain's patrol boats HMS Spee and HMS Tamar would represent Britain's permanent presence in Asia, while supporting operations in Australia, Japan and Singapore.
However, the British Navy declined to comment on the matter. A British spokesman said in an emailed statement that requests for ship calls are often scrutinized and that changes are common and that "for operational security reasons, we do not discuss the details" but "look forward to visiting the Solomon Islands later".
Screenshot of the Reuters report
Reuters and the Star-Spangled Banner newspaper reported on the relevant content, but still did not forget to pull China for speculation. Both media outlets invariably referred to the "Central Security Agreement", speculating that it "appears" to authorize Chinese warships to dock in the Solomon Islands for supplies.
In the decades after World War II, the United States had diverted attention from the island nation and closed its embassy in Honiara in 1993, according to The Star-Spangled Banner. Still, U.S. and Australian officials fear that China could "replace" their long-term leadership in the South Pacific.
The US media also said that the news of the rejection of the US patrol boat has further raised concerns about the South Pacific country 's severing ties with the United States in order to support China's sake.'
It is worth mentioning that on August 7, the Solomon Islands capital Honiara held a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the "Guadalcanal Islands", which was attended by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. However, solomon islands Prime Minister Menasi Sogavare, who was scheduled to speak at the ceremony, was temporarily absent without a follow-up explanation.
The Solomon Star reported that the move could be understood as Sogavare's attempt to snub the United States.
On July 7 this year, Sogavare said at the independence day celebration that China is the new partner of the firm, and although the two countries have established diplomatic relations less than three years ago, the Chinese side has shown a sincere willingness to help the development of the institute and become a trustworthy partner of the firm, for which the firm is grateful.
In response, Zhao Lijian, spokesman for our Foreign Ministry, said: Facts have proved that the establishment of diplomatic relations and the development of friendly and cooperative relations between China conform to the trend of the times, conform to the fundamental and long-term interests of the two peoples, and have strong vitality and broad prospects. China will always be a trustworthy and reliable good friend and good partner of Solomon Islands, and is willing to strengthen dialogue, exchanges and cooperation in various fields with the Solomon Islands, so as to promote new progress in China-China relations and better benefit the two peoples.
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