Solomon Islands becomes unlikely epicenter of U.S.-China competition

circulating online last month, the Solomon Islands could request Chinese security forces to restore “social order.” Once on the islands, they’d also have the authority to “protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects.” Rumblings of a deal came just weeks after Secretary of State Tony Blinken announced in February that the U.S. would open an embassy in Honiara, the capital, to increase engagement with the islands, where there has been a fierce internal debate about relations with China. Senior U.S. officials have been placing calls to Honiara, and the State Department and Pentagon have issued warnings about the…