If you want to know how China and Australia are competing for influence in the Pacific Islands, here’s a microcosm of the contest.

Constantly seeking opportunities to establish itself as the dominant power in the Pacific, Beijing decided to offer a fleet of 27 brand-new vehicles as a gift to Solomon Islands in time for its hosting this week of the annual summit of the region’s paramount political gathering, the Pacific Islands Forum. The 18-member forum includes Australia and New Zealand. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be there.

Illustration by Dionne Gain

The purported function of the vehicles? The 27 SUVs were to ferry the various leaders and ministers around during the summit. It might not sound like a big deal, but for a tiny nation with a per-capita income in the same range as that of Haiti and the Congo, the prime minister himself, Jeremiah Manele, turned out for the handover.

The Australian response? To announce that it would give the Solomons a fleet of 60 brand-new vehicles. “Australia continues to be the Pacific’s largest development partner, and security partner of choice,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said in jointly announcing the gift, together with Pacific Island Affairs Minister Pat Conroy.

Unspoken is that Canberra doesn’t want any of the leaders to travel in China’s cars because they are inevitably set up to spy for Beijing. The Australian aim is that the forum leaders are chauffeured around in the cars from Canberra. After this week’s events, the Australian cars are to be distributed across various islands of the Solomons for police use.

For good measure, the Australian government is throwing in support for the Solomons’ cybersecurity, upgrades to roads around the capital of Honiara, and $3 million for logistics support for the PIF summit.

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