U.S. Navy Chief Says He’s Closely Watching Communist China’s Secret Arrangement with Solomon Islands

“Australian media reported on April 5 that the security cooperation agreement signed between Communist China and the Solomon Islands contains a series of “secret” arrangements that are of concern to the United States and its partners.

In response, U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Samuel Paparo expressed support for the Australian issuing the warning that the establishment of a Communist China naval base in the Pacific country, less than 2,000 kilometers from Australia’s Queensland coast, would change the way of the Australian Defence Force reckoning.

Paparo noted, “this is an issue of concern, and while there is still forward, whenever a secret security arrangement is revealed, it has implications for all of our partners throughout the Western Pacific,” Paparo said, especially for Australia and New Zealand, it’s all a matter of concern.”

Paparo also mentioned that “there is no doubt that the CCP is observing what is happening in Ukraine by taking notes and learning from it. And they will improve their capabilities based on what they learn.” It implies that the CCP does not want to make the same mistakes as Russia when it launches an invasion war against Taiwan in the future.

Moreover, Paparo believes there is a growing possibility of armed conflict in the Indo-Pacific region and Australians need to be “realistic” about it. He emphasized, quote “Because of the unpredictability of events, conflict in our region is possible within a few years. Who would have expected Eastern Europe to be what it is in 2021. In fact, this is our mission, and as soldiers, we must always be prepared”.”