The Solomon Islands Panic

It is important that Washington and the other governments don’t presume to dictate what these states may or may not do in their own foreign relations.

The Chinese government must be having fun throwing U.S. rhetoric back in Washington’s face:

“Island countries in the South Pacific are independent and sovereign states, not a backyard of the U.S. or Australia,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday. “Their attempt to revive the Monroe Doctrine in the South Pacific region will get no support and lead to nowhere.”

China is responding to the panicked reaction from the U.S. and Australia over a security agreement that Beijing concluded with the Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands. I have written about the agreement and the U.S. and allied overreaction to it before, but I wanted to add a few more observations. If the U.S. and its allies don’t want to drive small states further into Beijing’s orbit, it is important that Washington and the other governments don’t presume to dictate what these states may or may not do in their own foreign relations. Having neglected the Solomon Islands for decades, the U.S. cannot belatedly show up and insist that their government go back on its agreement with the major power that has been building closer ties with them for years.