The Solomon Islands is discussing an arrangement that would allow the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol the country’s waters with local police on board, Prime Minister Matthew Wale says. Wale made the statement during a visit to Washington and said the government plans to sign a deal following meetings with U.S. Coast Guard officials, including Vice Commandant Admiral Thomas Allan. The proposal is described in regional reporting as part of expanded U.S. Coast Guard patrol activity in the South Pacific aimed at supporting local police and monitoring illegal fishing over large maritime areas. The Solomons’ security links with China are also central to the context. The country is described as China’s closest security partner in the South Pacific after signing a security pact with China in 2022. That same year, the pact is reported to have affected U.S. access, including a situation in which a U.S. Coast Guard vessel did not make a port call. Wale, who was elected in May and says he intends to bring changes, frames the U.S. patrol initiative as a shift in cooperation priorities alongside existing security arrangements.