How should the U.S. respond to the recent bilateral security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands and the growing Chinese presence in the Indo-Pacific region? This is an important question to consider as China’s rise and continued intent to reshape the international order presents obvious challenges for the U.S. China increasingly projects the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to advance its objectives. Beijing has ambitions to create a greater sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific, erode U.S. alliances in the region and around the world, and ultimately become the world’s leading power. According to the 2022 National Security Strategy, China presents itself as America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge, and while competition with Beijing becomes increasingly global, it is most pronounced in the Indo-Pacific. Despite these challenges, the Indo-Pacific is an important region to the U.S., welcoming American leadership and rewarding U.S. engagement with positive returns on political, economic, and military investments.
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