China's Security Agreement with the Solomon Islands: Expansion of China’s Power Projection in Island Chain

Document Type : Original Independent Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty member of Ayatollah Boroujerdi University

2 Ph.D. in International Relations, Tarbiat Modares University.

Abstract

The Solomon Islands are a group of hundreds of islands east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. As the US and its allies continue their provocative actions against China regarding Taiwan, China clarified the scale and scope of its geostrategic ambitions in the Pacific Islands in the first half of 2022. The first indication was the disclosure of the draft of a secret security treaty between China and the Solomon Islands in March. This descriptive-analytical study aims to discuss the nature of this security agreement and its effect on the power of China in the island chain. The main research questions were as follows: 1- What is the position of China’s power projection strategy in the island chain in the foreign policy of China? and 2- What is the role of the Solomon Islands in this strategy? The study findings generally suggested that China is attempting to broaden its sphere of influence over the "island chain" in order to change the balance of power against the superior pole. In addition, the strategic importance of the Solomon Islands to China lies in its geographical location as the third island chain.

Highlights

Introduction

The island nations of the Pacific Ocean span a vast expanse of sea and are considered by many to be of strategic importance. As the region has always been a battleground for China, Australia, and the United States, the oceanic islands are of strategic importance to all three countries. However, recent developments in the Solomon Islands have doubled the importance of the region and made it an attractive area for scientific research.

The first indication was the disclosure of the draft of a secret security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands in March 2022 after China clarified the scope of its geostrategic ambitions in the Pacific Islands region. China's power projection strategy in the island chain provides a platform for addressing the reasons for China to expand its interaction and relations with the government of the Solomon Islands. Accordingly, the main research questions are as follows: 1- What is the position of China’s power projection strategy in the island chain in the foreign policy of China? and 2- What is the role of the Solomon Islands in this strategy? The main research hypothesis indicates that since China is trying to challenge and weaken the US strategic depth, the power projection strategy in the island chain has found a special position in China's foreign policy, with the Solomon Islands playing a key role in this strategy.

 

Methodology

This was a descriptive-analytical study.

 

Theoretical framework: defensive realism

The main goal of this framework is to increase the power of explaining the effects of the international system's structure on the behavioral preferences of countries. Kent Waltz's theory of international politics is the prime example of defensive realism. Kent Waltz argues that the structure of the international system is defined by an organizing and regulating source, as well as the distribution of power among units. Anarchy is the organizing principle in international politics that shapes the structure of the global system. As a result, the international system and its characteristics, particularly its anarchic structure, are the most important factors underpinning and affecting the behavioral preferences of countries. As a result, considering the analytical apparatus of defensive realism as well as the US behavior as the superior power of the international system, China is expected to follow balancing behaviors and pursue internal balancing as a strategic priority in response to the conditions and structural limitations caused by the unipolar international order.

 

Findings

The concept of the island chain and its importance for China

An island chain is a geographic security concept that connects islands and other larger land masses to represent a defensive or offensive environment. In the early Cold War, General Douglas MacArthur was the most eminent figure who explained the geopolitical importance of island chains. John Foster Dulles, a foreign affairs expert, later developed the Island Chain Strategy in 1951, outlining the need to contain the former Soviet Union and China with a series of naval bases in the western Pacific region to limit the two countries' maritime access.

China’s power projection strategy in the island chain

China's great economic transformation has affected the country in many ways. At the same time, since the Chinese government has increased its military budget and the Chinese military now has extensive access to modernization funds, internal balancing has turned into a viable option for this country. In this framework, on the one hand, China’s military capabilities have grown rapidly in the last few decades, and, on the other hand, the scope of its power projection strategy in the island chain is developing. This concept not only is an integral part of China's maritime security but also reveals its fear of strategic encirclement by the US military forces.

China's strategic priorities in the Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Islands, according to China's official worldview, are part of China's "periphery" or neighboring region. Although China had extensively ignored the Pacific region, China's priorities have shifted to this part of the world in recent years. China and the Pacific Islands have great potential for bilateral cooperation in this region. During a group meeting with Pacific Island leaders in 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, "Although China and the Pacific Islands are far apart, there is a natural affinity between us." There are several reasons behind this approach, most of which are related to China’s interests in promoting strategic priorities. These main interests and goals have been the driving force behind the People's Republic of China's increased interaction and extensive participation in the region in various fields such as economy, diplomacy, and security.

Consequences of China's security strategy in the Solomon Islands

The content of the security treaty between China and the Solomon Islands is significant in that it refers to China's desire to protect and promote its interests and strategic priorities in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean holds a special place in China's interests and balancing strategy due to its strategic location. The relative success of China's agreement with the Solomon Islands, as well as the expected success of its agreements with other countries, will undoubtedly have ramifications for the region's traditional powers, including the US, Australia, and New Zealand.

 

Conclusion

One of the top priorities of China's foreign policy has always been to strengthen the position of this country in the international balance of power. As a result, in the first decades after the Cold War, this country emphasized the need to rebalance international power. According to the conditions and constraints of the international system's unipolar structure, one of the main priorities of China's competitive and balancing policy is internal international balancing (in a gradual manner), i.e. changing the balance of power established by the US as the only pole of the international system. China has pursued power projection in the island chain as a focal component of this strategy in order to achieve the same interests as the superior pole in various dimensions. As a result of these efforts, China's military capabilities are now equal to those of the United States in several dimensions, and also the scope of its power projection strategy in the island chain has been expanded.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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