Solomon Islands says it will sign US Coast Guard patrol deal

The Solomon Islands will sign an agreement allowing the US Coast Guard to patrol its waters with local police aboard, Prime Minister Matthew Wale said during a visit to Washington.

A Solomon Islands statement said the ship rider agreement will be signed in the capital, Honiara, next week. It said the deal is intended to strengthen joint maritime enforcement and surveillance.

Wale met US Coast Guard vice commandant Admiral Thomas Allan in Washington on Monday. The Solomon Islands statement said Wale cited an urgent need to improve security across the Pacific region because of threats including drug trafficking, human trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

The Solomon Islands became China's closest security partner in the South Pacific after signing a secret security pact in 2022. The same year, it blocked a US Coast Guard vessel from making a port call. Wale was elected in May after pledging change.

The US Coast Guard has expanded patrols in the South Pacific in recent years, assisting local Pacific police known as ship riders across large areas of ocean to inspect suspected illegal fishing fleets. Ship riders on a US Coast Guard vessel boarded Chinese fishing boats in Vanuatu and Kiribati in 2024, prompting Chinese officials to protest after some vessels were found to be fishing illegally.

The Solomon Islands has a 1.5 million square kilometre exclusive economic zone. Like many South Pacific countries, it counts tuna fishing as a major industry.

James Batley, a former Australian diplomat in the Solomon Islands, said the US Coast Guard deal was a significant shift and showed Wale was acting on his pledge to deliver change. He said anxiety about transnational drug crime in the Pacific could help the United States make the case that it can help.

Wale also met US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to discuss possible investment, including Bina Harbour, where the Solomon Islands wants to develop a tuna processing factory for export. Reported Chinese interest in developing Bina Harbour has previously raised concern from Australia that it could be used as both a military and civilian port.

Wale will next travel to Tokyo to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, his office said.