Beijing sure is getting its money’s worth from the “security pact” it signed in the spring with a tiny Pacific nation. Witness how the Solomon Islands in recent days has started turning away port visits by U.S. and allied ships.
The island chain’s government last week denied permission for a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, the Oliver Henry, to make a routine port call. This followed a refusal for Britain’s HMS Spey. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare says the refusals were the result of paperwork snafus, but the U.S. Embassy in Australia on Tuesday said the island nation has imposed a moratorium on naval visits pending development of new procedures.
Opinion | The Unwisdom of the Solomon Islands
Beijing sure is getting its money’s worth from the “security pact” it signed in the spring with a tiny Pacific nation. Witness how the Solomon Islands in recent days has started turning away port visits by U.S. and allied ships.
The island chain’s government last week denied permission for a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, the Oliver Henry, to make a routine port call. This followed a refusal for Britain’s HMS Spey. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare says the refusals were the result of paperwork snafus, but the U.S. Embassy in Australia on Tuesday said the island nation has imposed a moratorium on naval visits pending development of new procedures.