Solomon Islands Plans Its Own Military Force Against Background of Growing Allegiance to Beijing

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Oct 20, 2025 - 09:49 Updated: Oct 20, 2025 - 09:46
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Solomon Islands Plans Its Own Military Force Against Background of Growing Allegiance to Beijing

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Only three Pacific Island nations—Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji—currently maintain standing militaries, but that number is set to increase after the Solomon Islands decided to establish its own military.

The nation of hundreds of islands in the South Pacific with a population of 734,887, according to the 2023 estimate, hasn’t had a defence force since 1976, when Britain ended its colonial rule.

However, Minister for Police, National Security, and Correctional Services, Jimson Tanangada, told Parliament  in answer to an opposition question that the government had already “initiated preliminary policy” to explore the idea, which he said was “being approached cautiously, strategically, and transparently.”

“Let me emphasise that this is not an attempt to militarise our nation, but rather a long-term nation-building effort aimed at enhancing Solomon Islands’ resilience, sovereignty, and self-reliance. The intent is to develop a defence capability that allows our country to better respond to disasters, security challenges, maritime threats and areas that strengthen the capacity of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force,” Tanangada said.

Of all the nations in the Pacific, the Solomon Islands is one of, if not the most closely aligned with Beijing, having switched its recognition from Taiwan to China in 2020. Since then, it has benefited from substantial support, including a $30 billion bailout last year and a $100 million trade surplus in its favour.
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A map shows the provinces of Solomon Islands. The red dot shows the capital Honiara. Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock
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The two countries formalised their relationship with a pact called “Framework Agreement Between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Solomon Islands on Security Cooperation.” This agreement, says Beijing, may “according to its own needs and with the consent of Solomon Islands, make ship visits to, carry out logistical replenishment in, and have stopover and transition in Solomon Islands, and the relevant forces of China can be used to protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in Solomon Islands.”
If implemented to its full extent, the framework agreement would give the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) the ability to sever shipping lanes and air links connecting the United States with its treaty ally Australia and partner New Zealand, China expert Gordon Chang said at the time.
That has since been supplemented by a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” signed in 2023.

Actions, Not Just Words

The Solomon Islands have also taken a strongly pro-Beijing stance, which it has demonstrated by actions such as refusing to allow a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to visit, then suspending all visits by American naval ships.
In 2023, Daniel Suidani, a former provincial premier of Solomon Islands who was ousted from office for standing up against Beijing’s foreign interference, and a Solomon Islands member of parliament and chair of its Foreign Relations Committee, Peter Kenilorea Jr., both warned that the CCP had increasingly infiltrated the nation.

Suidani claims that multiple members of the Solomon Islands government have been receiving bribes from the CCP. He has condemned the government’s decision to sign a security pact with the regime last year that will allow Beijing to deploy its military in the Solomon Islands to protect its own people and companies from anything it deems to be a threat.

Suidani has since been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly.
There have also long been rumours that Beijing wants to buy a deep-water port and a World War II-era airstrip in the Solomon Islands, but to date, this hasn’t occurred.

However, Tanangada maintains that the Solomon Islands Defence Force will be “owned, led, and sustained by Solomon Islanders,” adding that, “It’s a very tough aspiration, but it is not impossible to achieve.”

Its role would complement that of the police, focusing on “national and maritime security, humanitarian and disaster response, [and] national emergency support.”

Opposition Leader Mathew Wale and former Prime Minister and now MP Manasseh Sogavare both criticised the plan, saying the Solomon Islands should learn from the experiences of other Melanesian countries, such as Fiji and PNG, which have their own defence forces. But Sogaevere—who was strongly pro-Beijing during his premiership—proposed the same idea in 2023.

“We must be careful not to rush because Fiji also had military coups and PNG also have their own issues that are directly linked to their military,” Wale said.

“So it’s better that we plan it first. Take, for example, if the government somehow delays payment of soldiers’ allowances, they will come to the Parliament with guns.”

Australia has responded to the deepening ties between Honiara and Beijing by inking its own agreement to expand the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF).
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