Oppgavetittel på engelsk

Abstract

Sammendrag på engelsk.

In 2022, China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands, enabling the Chinese navy as well as the military to stay on the island nation. The South Pacific is largely considered "America's Lake" and the agreement was therefore met with dismay and suspicion by the Western counterparts. This thesis seeks to uncover and discuss Chinese motives and reasons for engaging in such an agreement that deviates from the perception that it is for geopolitical gain. Conclusively, the thesis discusses a variety of incentives to have such an agreement that is not rooted in the idea to challenge Western hegemony in the South Pacific.