Summary

Pre-colonisation, Solomon Islands was a self-sustaining hunter-gatherer society – grouped in villages of approximately 50-200 people – who interacted with Indigenous Australians in the Torres Strait Islands and Far North Queensland.

European recorded history in Solomon Islands began with the arrival in 1568 of the Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana, the first recorded European to “discover” the islands. Mendana believed he had discovered the place where the biblical king Solomon obtained the gold for his temple in Jerusalem; thus, the islands acquired the name Islas de Solomón. In 1893, a British Protectorate was established on some of the islands and in 1896 the first British Resident Commissioner was appointed.

Since 1860, "blackbirding" was practiced by Australia. This involved enslaving Solomon Islanders as unpaid or cheap labour to do agricultural work in the cotton and sugar plantations of Queensland and northern New South Wales. Blackbirding only ceased in 1904 due to Commonwealth law. Much of this history is not told in Australia but is more well known among Solomon Islanders and can affect how they view Australians.

During World War II, Japanese forces invaded Guadalcanal and Central Provinces and heavy fighting took place for most of 1942-43. Taking Solomon Islands was pivotal to the US move west across the Pacific to liberate the Philippines.

Solomon Islanders contributed to the Allied war effort. They were enlisted as coastwatchers, scouts, and labourers – playing a vital role as an early warning network during the Guadalcanal campaign. They were mobilised to perform various tasks, including gathering intelligence on Japanese troops, undertaking search and rescue missions, conducting guerrilla war against Japanese forces, facilitating a communication network between Allied troops and coastwatchers, and providing logistical support for both coastwatchers and the Allied armies. Famously, they rescued John F. Kennedy.

On 9 August 1942 the Royal Australian Navy’s heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra was attacked and severely damaged during the Battle of Savo Island (near the current day capital city Honiara). She was hit by shellfire 24 times in less than two minutes.

Solomon Islands continues to be impacted by the legacy of unexploded ordnance from the US and Japan, with death and injury still occurring from deteriorating and abandoned explosives. Along with Australia, Japan and the US are assisting with removing unexploded ordnance, but at a rate which has been criticised by Solomon Islanders.

After the war, the British re-established the Protectorate Government but moved the capital from Tulagi, capital of Central Province – which had been completely destroyed by Japanese bombing – to Honiara, capital of Guadalcanal Province.

The country was formally named Solomon Islands in 1975, and Solomon Islands achieved internal self-government on 2 January 1976 and became an independent country on 7 July 1978.

Politics

Solomon Islands is a member of the Commonwealth, and His Majesty King Charles III is Head of State (represented in Solomon Islands by a Governor General, currently His Excellency Sir David Vunagi).

The unicameral National Parliament comprises of 50 Members, elected under a ‘first past the post’ voting system. The Prime Minister is elected by an absolute majority of Members of Parliament (MP). Although most MPs belong to a political party, party affiliations are loose and fluid. MPs are even locally referred to as ‘grasshoppers’ due to frequent movement between political parties. In addition to the National Government, there are nine Provincial Assemblies, each led by a Premier.

The Hon Jeremiah Manele MP is the seventh and current Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, serving since 2 May 2024. The former foreign minister and diplomat replaced former prime minister the Hon Manasseh Sogavare MP under whose watch Solomon Islands undertook a diplomatic ‘switch’ from recognising Taiwan to recognising the People’s Republic of China in return for development and security support.

For further reading on Solomon Islands’ politics, see the resources below:

Podcasts

1. The Realities of Life and Politics in Solomon Islands (Triple R, 51m4s)

Articles

1. Political survival is the real contest in Solomon Islands as Sogavare prepares for Pacific Games (The Lowy Institute)
2. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is coming to Australia. What should we expect from his visit? (The Lowy Institute)
3. Real Partnership With Solomon Islands Must Be Based On Truth (University of Melbourne)
4. Constituency Development Funds and electoral politics in Solomon Islands: part one (DevPolicy Blog)
5. Constituency Development Funds and electoral politics in Solomon Islands: part two (DevPolicy Blog)
6. A day in the life of a Solomon Islands MP (DevPolicy Blog)
7. Solomon Islands’ first female premier: lessons learned (DevPolicy Blog)

Solomon Islands and Australia

Australia is the major partner for Solomon Islands, in all sectors, with strong people-to-people and commercial links. Australia is Solomon Islands’ largest infrastructure, development, security, and jobs partner with deep goodwill amongst the people of Solomon Islands due to leading and majority-funding the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

For more on RAMSI, check out the Australia Pacific Security College six part podcast series which commemorated the 20th anniversary here.

Solomon Islands is the third-largest recipient of Australian development assistance, after Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. Total Australian development assistance in 2022-23 was estimated at AUD161.1 million, of which AUD103.1 million was delivered through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s bilateral aid program. The remainder includes official development assistance delivered through the Australian Federal Police and regional and global development programs.

Under the Australia Awards Scholarships program, Solomon Islanders can be competitively awarded scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate study in Australia. The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme has brought over 5,500 Solomon Islanders to fill shortages in critical industries in Australia, and has made Australia the largest private sector employer in Solomon Islands. The Australian Volunteers Program brings Australians to Solomon Islands to help in the health, education, justice, banking, and sport sectors, amongst others.

Solomon Islands and its Neighbours

Japan

Japan has been present in Solomon Islands since World War II. It has sought to undo the legacy of WWII by removing unexploded ordnance and has also funded major infrastructure projects like the Honiara International Departure terminal and city roadworks. However, Japan’s release of treated Fukishima wastewater in 2023 soured its relationship with Solomon Islands, like many Pacific countries. Japan continues to honour its fallen soldiers by finding and repatriating war remains.

For further information on Solomon Islands’ culture, see the resources below (a reminder, videos are available to view on your mobile devices or standalone laptops – not on the DPN):

Video

1. Battle Of Guadalcanal: America's First Major Offensive Against Japan (War Stories, 48m56s)
2. The Solomon Island Giants - Japanese Encounter Man-Eaters (Wartime Stories, 47m31s)

Podcast

1. The Pacific War – week by week podcast, Invasion of Solomon Islands, August 2-9, 1942 (53 minutes)

Articles

1. Japan to assist Solomon Islands with removal of WW2 bombs - Tavuli News
2. Solomon Islands Expresses Concern Over IAEA's Approval of Japan's Plan to Release Treated Radioactive Water into Pacific Ocean - Tavuli News
3. Japanese Unearth Remains, and Their Nation’s Past, on Guadalcanal (The New York Times)
4. Japan, US and Chinese delegations visit Solomon Islands within days of one another (ABC)
5. Come Japan (The Solomon Star newspaper online)
6. Japanese soldiers’ remains recovered (The Solomon Star newspaper online)
7. Manele reaffirms growing friendship between Solomon Islands and Japan (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation)

The United States

After World War II, the United States did not maintain a presence in Solomon Islands. It closed its embassy in 1993 and has maintained relations from its embassy in Papua New Guinea.

The US stepped up its efforts in the Pacific following the security pact between Solomon Islands and China which was signed in April 2022. Kurt Campbell, national security coordinator in the Biden administration visited Solomon Islands in March 2023. In February 2023, the US re-opened its embassy in Solomon Islands to deepen bilateral cooperation, but there are few staff and Ambassador Ann Marie Yastishock still resides in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The US is still working to overcome local scepticism about its renewed focus on the Pacific.

In August 2023, US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy visited Solomon Islands and said the US was ready to provide “hundreds of millions” of dollars to Solomon Islands, but continues “to wait for the Solomon Islands Government to engage”.

For further reading on Solomon Islands and the US, see the resources below:

Video

1. ABC interview with US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy (15m 28s)

Articles

1. Solomon Islands: WWII Legacy Unresolved 80 Years After Guadalcanal Campaign (United States Institute of Peace)
2. Opening of the U.S. Embassy in Honiara, Solomon Islands - U.S. Embassy to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu (usembassy.gov)
3. ADF can put some spine into Biden’s strategy for Pacific (ASPI)
4. An address by Admiral Philip S. Davidson on the United States’ Interests in the Indo-Pacific (The Lowy Institute)
5. China Is Beating the U.S. in the Battle for Influence in Asia (The Lowy Institute)
6. What the US should do in Solomon Islands (DevPolicy Blog)
7. 2 US House members visit Solomon Islands but prime minister is ‘unavailable’ for meeting (South China Morning Post)
8. The US–Pacific Islands Partnership, one year on (The Lowy Institute)

New Zealand

Like Australia, New Zealand fought in the bloody Guadalcanal campaign of World War II and was part of RAMSI. It has a close relationship with Solomon Islands as a result, but its modern-day contributions are smaller than Australia’s.

Many prominent Solomon Islanders, including current politicians and senior public servants, have completed secondary or tertiary studies in New Zealand. New Zealand was able to provide modest financial support to Solomon Islands’ hosting the 2023 Pacific Games and is a key partner on combatting climate change.

For further reading on Solomon Islands and New Zealand, see the resources below:

Articles

1. Our development cooperation in Solomon Islands (NZ Government)
2. Did New Zealand put the R into RAMSI? (DevPolicy Blog)
3. Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific: the difference is migration policy (DevPolicy Blog)
4. ‘Calm in crisis’ Koroi Hawkins steps up as RNZ Pacific’s first Melanesian editor (Asia Pacific Report)
5. NZ govt says it 'honoured commitments' to Solomon Islands, rejects Sogavare's claims (RNZ)
6. Talking about tok stori (DevPolicy Blog)
7. GCSB spied on inner circle of former Solomon Islands PM and anti-corruption campaigner (NZ Herald)
8. Looking to a future without RAMSI (DevPolicy Blog)
9. Bringing the politics back in (Inside Story)
10. The politics of riots in the Solomon Islands (East Asia Forum)
11. Chinese Policing Deals in the Solomon Islands (Australian Institute of International Affairs)
12. Why the Solomon Islands risks becoming a bull's-eye of the Pacific (Stuff)

The United Kingdom

In April 2023, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited Solomon Islands, the first ever visit by a UK Foreign Secretary.

HMAS Spey also visited in April 2023, being the first royal navy visit since 1999. This reinforced the UK’s commitment to support maritime security, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief.

BBC Media Action continues to provide modest support to Solomon Islands’ media sector and surges financial contributions around elections to encourage and enable local reporting.

For further reading on Solomon Islands and the UK, see the resources below:

Articles

1. British Solomon Islands Protectorate, 1893–1978 (University of Queensland, pdf)
2. UK in Solomon Islands (Facebook page)
3. Solomon Islands and the UK (Gov.UK)
4. UK Foreign Secretary to visit Solomon Islands (SIBC)
5. British foreign minister’s belated visit to the Pacific a welcome counter to Chinese influence (The Lowy Institute)
6. BBC Media Action equip newsrooms in Honiara for 2024 election coverage (Gov.UK)

China – see Hot Topic.

Papua New Guinea – check out KYR – PNG.

Articles

1. Papua New Guinea’s aid program in the region (DevPolicy Blog)

Discussion questions

1. In his speech at the HMAS Canberra Memorial Service 9 August 2023, Australian High Commissioner His Excellency Rod Hilton said, “Australia and Solomon Islands’ long history of security partnership arcs back to World War II. It was during this period when our two countries first worked together as Scouts and Coastwatchers.” The Australian Defence Force was central to the founding partnership between our countries. What part does and should the ADF play in our current-day relationship?
2. Should Australia consider itself primarily ‘responsible’ for countering Chinese influence in Solomon Islands? Especially given the historical relationships the UK and US have had with Solomon Islands.
3. Is the presence of the US, UK, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, China, and other development partners in Solomon Islands a positive or a complication for Australia?