On April 22, a high-power delegation led by US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell with Deputy INDOPACOM Commander read the riot act to Solomon Islands Prime Minister over its security pact with Communist China. The message was simple and blunt: if Solomon Islands allow China to establish a Chinese military post or base in far Pacific, then the US would respond in kind.
With the QUAD summit scheduled to take place in Tokyo on May 24, the Chinese strategy to create choke points in the Indo-Pacific is certainly going to come up for discussion as these steps will have long term effects on the free and open seas. The issue assumes alarming dimensions if the Communist Party of China decides to militarily subsume Republic of Taiwan with its sea-based forces particularly the nuclear submarines crossing the first Island chain encircling mainland China.
While the Solomon Islands PM tried to assuage the American officials by saying that Chinese will not be allowed any base in the far Pacific, fact is that under the guise of Belt Road Initiative (BRI) and bilateral cooperation China has been able to acquire strategic chokepoints all over the Indo-Pacific and poses direct threat to democratic QUAD.