The Solomon Islands refused to accept a US patrol ship that was due to make a routine visit, citing worsening relations between the United States and the archipelago, which is vulnerable to growing Chinese influence.
The US Coast Guard announced in a statement on Friday that the patrol vessel Oliver Henry is scheduled to make a routine visit to the Solomon Islands.
He added: “The government of the Solomon Islands has not responded to the request of the US government to allow the ship to refuel and eat in Honiara”, the capital of the Solomon Islands. The Coast Guard belongs to the American forces and serves the Ministry of Interior in peacetime and is under the authority of the Ministry of Defense in wartime.
“The Department of State is in contact with the government of the Solomon Islands and expects all future requests from the United States government to receive vessels to be approved,” the brief statement said.
The Coast Guard did not specify when the incident occurred, but released a photo of the vessel dated August 14 and explained that it had arrived in Papua New Guinea. The caption attached to the photo said the ship had arrived from Guam as part of a southbound patrol to help partner nations enforce and assert respect for their sovereignty.
The Solomon Islands government, which recently signed a murky security accord with Beijing, is trying to curb press freedom and is considering postponing elections. The Solomon Islands saw the Battle of Guadalcanal, the first major land attack by the United States and its allies against Japan in 1942, a turning point in World War II in the Pacific.
Source: Lebanon Debate
