While the United States is attempting to use Australia for its own purposes, the future is bright. The island continent’s relationship with China is setting sail in a stormy environment, but emerging cooperation is certain to become both stable and durable.

Australia’s alignment to the West and its trade barriers with China has entrenched tensions between the two Asian countries.

We need to learn how to respect differences and live harmoniously, because not all people or cultures are alike. It’s not healthy for the new Indo-Pacific concept — which works against open regionalism — to replace the traditional notion of the Asia-Pacific.

The region has maintained overall security and stability for more than 40 years, largely because of the strategic rationality and sobriety of governments in the neighborhood. Major powers that want to interfere should take note.

Not so long ago, Australia was known for its booming economy and balanced foreign policy. Today its economy is stagnating, while the U.S. Big Defense casts a dark shadow over its foreign policy - as evidenced by nuclear escalation.

The abusive use of alliances in the region will only hurt. Judging from history and current reality, peace will not flower with a China of 1.4 billion people trapped in stagnation, nor will it help to foster hostile interactions with its neighbors.

Is the U.S. ready to meaningfully engage with the Asia-Pacific region? Their latest offering comes in the form of the IPEF, and the differences between the U.S.-led trade pact and competing ones led by Asian powers will show whether American leadership has brought enough to the table.

The United States does not rule out cooperation with China on particular issues, but the prominence of cooperation in principle has dropped significantly. Indications are that areas of possible cooperation are narrowing and the difficulty is increasing.

Washington is looking to shore up its Indo-Pacific strategy by further roping in South Korea and Japan. Its strategy is alive and well despite the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and China’s peripheral diplomacy will continue to face thorny challenges.

China is gaining influence for a reason: Its approach is helpful — and this irritates the United States. But the Solomon Islands is a sovereign country and as such is entitled to develop security relationships as it sees fit.