A United States Coast Guard cutter patrolling an international mission in the Pacific Ocean has been denied entry to a Solomon Islands port, raising concerns about China’s growing influence in the region. The cutter Oliver Henry was participating in Operation Island Chief monitoring fishing activities in the Pacific, which ended Friday, when it attempted to make a scheduled stop at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to resupply and resupply, the Coast Guard office in Honolulu said. . There was no response from the Solomon Islands government for diplomatic permission for the vessel to stop there, however, so the Oliver Henry was diverted to Papua New Guinea, the Coast Guard said. In addition, it was reported that a British vessel was denied entry, but the British Royal Navy did not immediately comment on these reports. CHINA COMMUNIST SURVIVOR ISSUES WARNING TO AMERICANS: SOCIALISM IS ONLY THE FIRST STAGE United States Coast Guard crew members work on a cutter at Coast Guard Sector Miami on January 26, 2022 in Miami, Florida. ((Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)) During Operation Island Chief, the US, Australia, Britain and New Zealand provided support through air and surface surveillance for the Pacific island nations participating in the operation, including the Solomon Islands. China is aggressively seeking to expand its presence and influence in the Pacific, and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has alarmed some neighbors, the US and others after signing a new security pact with China. US ANSWERS TO KIND OF FALLS WITH CHINA AFTER BEIJING SUSPENDS 26 FLIGHTS TO AMERICA The pact has raised fears of a Chinese naval base 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off Australia’s northeast coast. A Chinese military presence in the Solomon Islands would put it not only on the doorstep of Australia and New Zealand, but also in close proximity to Guam, the US territory that hosts major military bases. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission (Ju Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images) “China is gaining ground in its efforts to gain dominance in the Pacific,” former US Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Hutton tweeted in response to the news. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “China now rules the Solomon Islands,” says Gordon G. Chang, its author Coming Collapse of China, posted on Twitter. Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in Beijing, Oct. 9, 2019. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips at [email protected]
