Believers IAS Academy is one of the Best IAS coaching in Bangalore at BTM Layout for aspirants preparing for recruitment exams conducted by UPSC. Renowned as best UPSC Coaching in Bangalore.

1. China-Solomon Islands security
cooperation deal
Context:
• The social media leak of the draft security co-operation document between China
and the Solomon Islands has created huge controversy as it has the potential to
disturb the established security mechanisms in the South Pacific region.
Background:
• On March 24, a document headed “Framework Agreement between the
Governments of the People’s Republic of China and the Governments of the Solomon
Islands on Security Cooperation” was leaked on social media.
• It sparked widespread debate both at home and abroad since it has the potential to
disrupt established security systems in the South Pacific area.
• The pact expressly authorises Beijing to dispatch “police, armed police, military
personnel, and other law enforcement and armed forces” to the islands at the
request of the latter government, or if Beijing believes the safety of its projects and
personnel on the islands is jeopardised.
Significance for China:
• The Solomon Islands is part of the ethnically Melanesian group of islands in the
Pacific and lies between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
• The islands, which were initially controlled by the British Empire during the colonial
era, went through the hands of Germany and Japan and then back to the U.K., after
the Americans took over the islands from the Japanese during World War II.
• The islands became independent in 1978 to become a constitutional monarchy
under the British Crown, with a parliamentary system of government.
• Nevertheless, its inability to manage domestic ethnic conflicts led to close security
relations with Australia, which is the traditional first responder to any crisis in the
South Pacific.

2. • The Pacific Islands are one of the few places in the world where China faces diplomatic
competition from Taiwan.
• China believes Taiwan to be a renegade territory in need of reunification, and it opposes
Taiwan’s worldwide recognition as an independent state. As a result, any country that wants
to establish official relations with China must terminate diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
• The Solomon Islands was one of six Pacific Island countries with formal bilateral ties with
Taiwan.
Changes in the region:
• In the post-World War II scenario, the Pacific islands were solely under the sway of Western
countries, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the regional
heavyweights, Australia and New Zealand.
• They all have territorial claims in the area, and the three nuclear powers have utilised it as a
testing location for their nuclear weapons.
• The region’s smaller island nations are strongly reliant on them, particularly Australia, which
is a resident power.
• Through the continuous displacement of Taiwan and the cultivation of economic and
political clout, China is posing a growing threat to the region’s existing power structure.
Vist Us To Know More About the Current Affairs:
Best UPSC Coaching in Bangalore