The second-most senior United States diplomat has reassured the Pacific region the Biden administration is watching closely as the security pact between China and the Solomon Islands takes shape, warning a military base on the islands would "create security concerns for all".
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is on a trip through the region and attended a weekend dawn service in the Solomons for the key WWII Battle of Guadalcanal.
The Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, did not turn up to the commemoration, which was organised by the US and attended by Australia and New Zealand.
Local media described the move as a "snub" and reported that the PM was initially scheduled to speak at the event.
Ms Sherman said she "really felt sorry" for Mr Sogavare and described it as a missed "opportunity" for the Prime Minister to reflect on how the Japanese were turned back during a key moment in WWII.
"He missed that memorialisation of the Solomon Islanders and all of the people, civilians included, who gave their lives for freedom," Ms Sherman told 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson during an interview from Canberra.
"When I spoke to the press in Solomon Islands, they saw it as an opportunity that he had missed.
"So he will have to answer to his own citizens about why he made the choice that he did.
"The ceremony was incredibly moving, incredibly important. I think we all felt really the solidarity of our work together to ensure freedom and democracy in the Pacific."
US to keep eagle eye on Solomons pact
Earlier this year, Mr Sogavare inked a secretive security pact with Beijing, causing enormous concern among local opposition politicians and in Canberra, Wellington and Washington.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly reassured his country's neighbours that he will not allow China to build a military base, however, there remain concerns about some of the language in the draft wording of the deal.
"He did, in this instance, repeat assurances that he has given to others," Ms Sherman said of her meeting with the PM.
"But this is a situation where we will all watch very carefully to see what happens here. It is quite critical.
"It is not just the US and Australia, or New Zealand, who care," she added.
"It is the Pacific Islands Forum, other countries who care very much that there not be a Chinese military base, because that would create a threat, potentially, to all of the Pacific Islands and create security concerns for all."
AUKUS submarine vision 'to be realised'
There has been substantial debate recently about how Australia can best navigate a potential submarine capability gap between our ageing Collins Class fleet and the proposed AUKUS program for new, nuclear-powered vessels.
Ms Sherman wouldn't be drawn on whether the US would be prepared to lease or sell Australia one of its nuclear-propelled submarines in the short term.
The US is facing construction delays with its current Virginia class submarines and has been exploring options for refuelling and extending the life of its older Los Angeles design.
"We have all kinds of processes that we need to go through, and all kinds of export control regulations in our country," she said.
Ms Sherman added that any problems with the AUKUS agreement could be overcome.
"I think the vision that was outlined originally is going to be realised," Ms Sherman said.
Australia, US discuss Pacific collaboration
While in Canberra, Ms Sherman met with Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
According to a readout provided by the US, the pair discussed "future opportunities to collaborate with the region to advance Pacific priorities" and the situation in Ukraine.
They also spoke about how China's recent actions near Taiwan were inflaming tensions in the region.
"Nobody else is escalating. The Taiwanese are not escalating. The United States is not escalating. Australia is not. Japan is not. The only country that's escalating this situation is China," Ms Sherman told ABC's 7:30.
"So, this is a very disproportionate response. If rockets were flying around any country, they would be very, very concerned."
At the start of the meeting, Senator Wong declared that Australia's alliance with the US was more important than ever, "given where the world is at".
"We are very focused on a region that's stable, prosperous and respectful of sovereignty and you're indispensable to that. The United States is indispensable to that," Senator Wong said.
