A joint security agreement between the Solomon Islands and China is sparking considerable anxiety among government officials, security analysts, and scholars in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States who see it as a direct challenge to both countries’ military interests in the Pacific.

There seems to be a huge divergence in perception over what’s entailed in this new pact. While Western stakeholders seem convinced that the agreement will pave the way for the establishment of China’s first military base in the South Pacific, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare resolutely denied the allegation.