Tulagi island

 

In news:

• A Chinese company signed an agreement to lease an entire island in the Solomon Islands a day after Beijing recruited the Pacific nation as its latest ally in the strategically important region.

 

Important facts:

• The leaked papers reveal that the Solomons' Central Province made a "strategic cooperation agreement" on Tulagi island, which has the type of deep-water harbour coveted by the military, with the state-owned China Sam Group.
• China and the Solomons officially established diplomatic relations after Beijing persuaded the impoverished Pacific nation to sever ties with arch-rival Taiwan and become its ally.
• The agreement with China Sam mentions developing a refinery on the island, but its potential for dual use as a Chinese military base is certain to raise concerns with the United States and Australia.
• Party A (Central Province) is willing to first lease the whole Tulagi island and the surrounding islands to Party B (China Sam) for the development of the special economic zone
• deal covers "any other industry that is suitable for development, including oil and gas development".
• Taiwan was previously the Solomons' largest ally in the Pacific region and the decision to ditch it for China after months of speculation was seen as a major diplomatic coup for Beijing.
• The move has alarmed U.S. officials who see the island chains of the South Pacific as crucial to keep China in check and protect important sea routes.
• The agreement includes provisions for a fishery base, an operations centre, and the building or enhancement of the airport.
• China is also pushing to end the region’s status as a diplomatic stronghold for Taiwan.
• The Solomons cut ties to Taiwan and allied with Beijing just a few days before the Tulagi deal. A second Pacific nation, Kiribati, followed suit the same week.

 

 

Solomon island:

• The Solomon Islands are located directly between Australia and the U.S. and was the site of fierce battles during World War II.
• Its capital is Honiara
• With a population of 660,000, the Solomon Islands were easily Taiwan’s largest remaining ally in the Pacific. Its economy relies on agriculture, fishing and forestry, and the country has a wealth of undeveloped mineral resources.

 

 

 

About Tulagi island:

• Tulagi is an island within the Solomon Islands, which are located in the South Pacific, directly between Australia and the U.S.

• Tulagi, an island about two square kilometres (0.8 square miles) with a population of 1,200, is the site of a former Japanese naval base and was the scene of fierce fighting in World War II.
• Tulagi is a small island (5.5 km x 1 km, area 2,08 km²) in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule.
• The town of the same name on the island was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 1896 to 1942 and is today the capital of the Central Province.
• The island was originally chosen by the British as a comparatively isolated and healthier alternative to the disease-ridden larger islands of the Solomon Islands archipelago.

 

 

Source)

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/china-signs-deal-to-lease-pacific-island-in-solomons/articleshow/71630553.cms