Solomon Islands issues statement on delayed US coast guard ship entry

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The Solomon Islands had to delay entry of a US Coast Guard ship earlier this month due to the late submission of information needed to approve the access of the vessel into the country, according to Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Tuesday, cited by the Government Communication Unit (GCU). 

The ship, Oliver Henry, was denied entry into the Guadalcanal due to a delay in submitting the required documents, which led the ship to depart the island's waters before approval was granted on the evening of August 20, according to Sogavare. 

The GCU said in a statement that the Islands requested partner countries to put a hold on naval visits to the country until a national mechanism is revised for entry requests.

"To this end, we have requested our partners to give us time to review and put in place our new processes before sending further requests for military vessels to enter the country. Once the new mechanism is in place, we will inform you all. We anticipate the new process to be smoother and timelier," Sogavare said.

The country, according to the statement, has had "unfortunate experiences" with foreign naval vessels entering its waters without granted diplomatic disclosure and would like to avoid such incidents from occurring again.

Guadalcanal is located near the country's capital city of Honiara, and this comes amid a deterioration in the ties between the United States and the Solomon Islands.

GCG Oliver Henry changed its course accordingly, traveling to Papua New Guinea.

Relations in deterioration

The US and the Solomon Islands have long been allies, with a partnership being in place since World War II. The two countries, however, have been growing colder together in recent decades, with the US going as far as shutting down its embassy in Honiara two decades ago.

Due to the wedge between Honiara and Washington, the Solomon Islands started developing ties with China in 2019, causing the United States and Australia to grow concerned.

China around mid-April signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, which prompted Australia to worry that the pact could be a step toward Chinese military presence less than 2,000 km away.

Zed Seselja, Australia's minister for international development and the Pacific, visited the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara to try to convince authorities not to sign the framework pact. 

Officials of both countries denied that China had planned on building a military base on the island nation, but then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison still stressed that Beijing constructing a military base in the Solomon Islands would be a "red line" for Canberra and Washington.

The White House even warned that the United States would respond if China establishes a permanent military presence on the Solomon Islands, and a senior US official in the Pacific did not rule out military action against the Solomon Islands if Honiara allowed China to establish a military base.

Regardless, Solomon Islander Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare reassured that his country would not host a foreign military base as this would render it a target for military strikes.

The US, UK, and Australia had formed their AUKUS alliance, ignoring China's concerns on the matter. The alliance was based on enhancing Australia's nuclear capabilities through advanced technology and nuclear submarines in order to increase the alliance's strength in the South Pacific as China grows more influential in its region.