Fears that China is attempting to militarize the Solomon Islands have alarmed Australia despite claims that the recent draft ‘security pact’ would not lead to a Chinese base there. In the past China has established 20 points of military presence in the South China Sea despite telling the USA it would not militarize the region.
The Solomon Islands, an impoverished nation located 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) east of Australia, home to under a million inhabitants, was given independence on 7 July 1976.
As the region’s largest aid donor – Australia last year spent a record 1.7 billion Australian dollars ($1.3bn) in development assistance in the South Pacific, as well as billions more on security, health, logistics and telecommunications in the Solomon Islands and has recently promised more. But Beijing is also showering the region with cash, chunks of which it is suspected go directly into the pockets of the leaders.
A government adviser said: “ the average person in the street has a positive attitude towards Australians because they are the people who help us while anti-Chinese sentiments are very strong because of destructive Chinese logging and mining fishing practices that have caused massive environmental destruction”.
The Solomon Islands became independent when there was a Sun Jupiter in Cancer conjunction trine Uranus sextile Mars, and square Pluto. Ripples of disturbance will emerge in 2023 but it will be 2024 to 2025 which are the testing years with setbacks and hardship. With two Saturn Pluto solar Arcs then which can have military associations though it may also be financial shortages.
Relations with Australia will be upended this year, from early May, on and off into early 2023 with more tensions in 2026. Relations with both China charts, 1912 and 1949, show more obvious signs of significant change and upheaval in 2023 and more so in 2024/25 and on.
Australia’s relations with China hint at some ructions this year from later this month for a few weeks and again in early 2023; but the more obvious problems show up in 2023/24/25. It’s not a problem that will go away. Though most of what shows on the Australia chart is financial rather than anything else.
Both Australia and New Zealand give aid to the Solomons and have for decades, seems we have outlived our usefulness.
For what it’s worth, I noticed that the Saturn-MC line at the upcoming April 30th solar eclipse runs through the Solomon Islands just a little over one degree away from the capital, Honiara. I thought this might represent the serious concerns and consternation being expressed over the draft security pact and/or the weighty and limiting nature of the pact itself.
Thanks for this analysis, Marjorie. New Zealand too is alarmed at China’s seeding of infrastructure and its citizens throughout the Pacific. Tonga experienced violent reaction to Chinese ownership of businesses some years ago as citizens began to fear their alienation of land and culture. The selling of island nation passports continues.
Thanks Marjorie. I’ve notice from your posts that the mid 2020’s keep popping up in various charts showing turbulence. It seems the 2020’s could be as a volatile decade overall.