Posted on 08/30/2022 8:10:51 PM PDT by george76
The Solomon Islands has informed U.S. authorities that all naval visits have been suspended until further notice following an earlier incident on Aug. 23 when a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Oliver Henry, was denied permission for a scheduled port call.
The incident comes amid mounting concerns about Beijing’s influence in the region and Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s moves to deepen ties with the Chinese regime while solidifying his hold on power.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Canberra: “On Aug. 29, the United States received formal notification from the Government of the Solomon Islands regarding a moratorium on all naval visits, pending updates in protocol procedures.”
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
The freeze on naval visits comes after the Oliver Henry wrapped up its part in Operation Island Chief to monitor and prevent illegal fishing activity in the region—an ongoing issue with Chinese fishing fleets. Operation Island Chief was conducted in conjunction with members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), including Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.
Oliver Henry was supposed to stop in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Aug. 23 for refuelling and re-provisioning but received no response from Solomons authorities. Subsequently, the crew were diverted to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
“It is disappointing that the USCGC Oliver Henry was not provided diplomatic clearance in support of its operation with the FFA,” the U.S. Embassy said in response.
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Solomons PM Solidifying Power..
The Solomons opposition leader Matthew Wale was critical of the Sogavare government’s decision.
“‘Friends to all, enemies to none’ is clearly a joke, the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, clearly treats the U.S. and its allies as hostile nations. All our friends must be treated equally,” he said in comments obtained by RNZ.
The radio silence from Solomons authorities follows a series of incidents suggesting the government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is not only deepening ties with Beijing but also steadily eroding the country’s democratic institutions to strengthen his position.
The Sogavare government signed off on a major deal with Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei on Aug. 18 to build 161 mobile towers in the country with a 448.9 million yuan (US$66.15 million) loan from the state-owned Export-Import Bank of China.
On Aug. 8, the prime minister’s team submitted a Bill to Parliament to delay national elections, which some experts have suggested could be a way for the prime minister to avoid a potential election defeat.
These actions come after Sogavare locked in a security pact with Beijing to allow the Chinese Communist Party to station weapons, troops, and naval ships in the country. This would give Beijing a military presence close to Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. territory of Guam.
The Biden administration has attempted to ramp up its support in the region with Vice-President Kamala Harris announcing a swathe of Pacific initiatives on July 12, including new embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, the first-ever U.S. Envoy to the Pacific Forum, and dispatching the Peace Corps.
The Solomons was the site of extensive fighting during World War II in the decisive Battle for Guadalcanal that resulted in six months of fighting and 1,600 Allied casualties.
Prime Minister Sogavare did not make an appearance at the 80th anniversary of the Battle despite attendance from Japan’s Defence Minister Makoto Oniki, U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy, and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
Ditto #40 for you.
Big difference between having a President in the White House, and having a geriatric dementia patient there ...
There is also a difference in sheer USN vs CCP naval power between 1982 and 2022.
Many here act like the 1956 pre-Suez fiasco British. The Brits still barked like they were the 1926 Great Britain, when they were not any more. By 1956 they were just house cats, not British lions.
The Brits used to sing about “Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves.”
Not so much anymore. (Their pride and joy aircraft carrier just broke down one day out of Portsmouth.)
That is the path America is on, sinking, while China’s naval power is rising. And now, so is their influence in the Pacific. Nobody should be shocked.
How so?
My Dad was a spotter for a AAA battery on one of the Solomon Islands during the island mopping campaign. He once told me the island was so small that he could stand in the water on one side, throw a stone over the island and hit the water on the other side.
it was with great cost that we moved through the Pacific in WWII
great cost
I guess Europe is not the only place that hates Americans.
One less place for us to worry about
We took the Solomon’s once, let’s do it again. Just for the hell of it.
No I’m not delusional. The world is still the world and the threats are the same or worse.
Excuse me but the British AND French left Suez not because of any superior military threat, but because the United States and the rest of the world didn’t support them and demanded they withdraw.
While the United States would face a major war with China, we sure as hell would not with the Solomon Islands.
Of course the move would be controversial but a lot easier now than when China has a base there.
dispatching the Peace Corps.
Oh well, now they’re in for it.../s
Bomb them with screen printers!
A blockade is pretty tricky.
To do that sort of thing right, you’d need more than one ship, and depending on whether or not the Naval principals are talking to one another or not, more than one ship can be a recipe for disaster.
“Excuse me but the British AND French left Suez not because of any superior military threat”
BULLSHIT.
Eisenhauer saved the Nouveau Lilliputians from their own retarded delusions.
Like many of us here are trying to save YOU.
OMG, you are SO delusional.
You would back Rocky, in “Rocky Comeback #17,” age 70, against a 25 year old Mike Tyson. Because you believe.... but...
YOU ARE DELUSIONAL.
This is 2022. Our military is so woke our best cruisers get rammed by slow tankers. West Point puts cadets into red high heels to let them feel like womins. They fly the LGBTQ+ flags over our embassies. Including in Kabul, until the day we fled in disgrace and dishonor.
IT’S NOT 1982. Ronald Reagan is not president. WAKE UP from your long coma, slap yourself hard 10X, take a very cold shower, and drink 3 cops of strong black coffee.
YOU ARE LIVING IN A DREAM OF THE DEAD AND GONE PAST. WAKE UP.
More childish talk now about Rocky 17?
You’re a silly joke.
You talk like a weirdo. Very strange.
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