Relationship dossier
Australia
Solomon Islands
Relationship assessment
A substantial aid and security partnership, alongside disagreement over Solomon Islands' security ties with China.
Australia toward Solomon Islands
+50Australia has provided substantial development assistance and contributed to RAMSI, the regional mission that supported Solomon Islands' security and governance from 2003 to 2017. The two governments also signed a bilateral security treaty in 2017.
Solomon Islands toward Australia
+30Solomon Islands cooperated with Australia through RAMSI and entered into a bilateral security treaty with Australia in 2017. The Solomon Islands government's 2022 security agreement with China nevertheless raised Australian concerns about regional security.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a durable foundation in Australian assistance and bilateral security cooperation, including RAMSI and the 2017 security treaty. Solomon Islands' agreement with China in 2022 introduced a significant point of friction, but does not erase the established cooperative relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Australia has been a major aid and security partner for Solomon Islands, including through the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), which operated from 2003 to 2017, and a bilateral security treaty signed in 2017. Solomon Islands has cooperated with Australia through these arrangements, while its 2022 security agreement with China prompted Australian concern and highlighted disagreements over regional security.
Areas of tension
- Australia's concerns about the regional security implications of Solomon Islands' 2022 security agreement with China.
Key developments
RAMSI began, with Solomon Islands' cooperation, as a regional mission supporting security and governance.
RAMSI concluded after operating in Solomon Islands from 2003 to 2017.
Australia and Solomon Islands signed a bilateral security treaty.
Solomon Islands signed a security agreement with China, prompting Australian concern about regional security.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and implementation of current bilateral security cooperation are unclear.
- The longer-term effects of Solomon Islands' security agreement with China on Australia–Solomon Islands ties remain uncertain.