Countering Beijing, Australia to Build $60 Million Maritime Base on the Solomons Islands

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare in Canberra, Australia on Oct. 6, 2022. Martin Ollman/Getty Images

Canberra will build a maritime base for the Solomon Islands’ military to dock patrol ships it donated as part of Australia’s $60 million infrastructure investment plan.

The Department of Defence has signed a contract with private construction firm Reeves Icon and Hall for the establishment of two major infrastructure facilities in the Pacific island country.

Western Border Outpost, a base to be built on Lofung South, Shortland Islands, will include a dock for two escort class patrol boats, accommodation, and a command post. The two patrol boats were previously given to the Solomon Islands as a gift by the Australian government.

The base will be able to provide paramilitary services, which will be used jointly by the local police and maritime forces.

In this handout provided by the Australian Department of Defence, Armadale Class Patrol Boat, HMAS Armidale, sails into the Port of Honiara, Guadalcanal Island, Solomon Islands, on Dec. 1, 2021. CPL Brodie Cross/Australian Department of Defence via Getty Images

“The Outpost will enhance Solomon Islands’ border security and maritime surveillance capability while promoting economic development and stability in the region,” a Defence spokesperson said.

Australia will also undertake a major upgrade to Hells Point, an explosive ordinance disposal facility in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, which has a large amount of unexploded ordnance left over from World War II.

In April, the Solomon Islands signed a security agreement with Beijing, which raised concerns in the United States, Australia, and other Western countries. Under the agreement, Chinese police security personnel have begun training Solomon Islands police.

Although Manasseh Sogavare, the prime minister of the Solomon Islands, has repeatedly stated that he will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to establish a military base in his territory, it has failed to dispel concerns that the agreement will pave the way for the establishment of a Chinese military base in this strategically important location.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, right, locks arms with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on May 26, 2022. Xinhua via AP

Australia and China have since launched tit-for-tat donations aimed at deepening ties with the Solomon Islands, with Pacific expert and opposition senator urging against the Labor government’s move to donate weapons and armoured vehicles to the country.

On the other hand, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Australia was not attempting to outcompete Beijing for the Solomon Island’s friendship.

“We’ve just got to focus on our own relationship with the Solomon Islands and indeed with all the countries of the Pacific,” he told ABC radio on Nov. 4.

“I genuinely do believe that if we are present and if we are engaged with the countries in the Pacific, they’ll want to work with us.”