[5][6] A series of demonstrations and violent riots followed the government's decision leading to a 36-hour lockdown in the capital, a number of buildings were burnt down, and the deployment of police.

[7][8][9] Deakin University Professor Matthew Clarke deemed the switch an important step for China's Belt and Road Initiative goals.

[10]: 79 In September 2019, Chinese state-owned conglomerate China Sam Enterprise Group secretly signed a lease agreement with the Tulagi provincial government for exclusive rights to the entire island.

[11][12] A month later, the Solomon Islands attorney general overturned the agreement, citing trespass on national government powers, the failure of China Sam to register as a foreign investor, and the lack of vital details including a timeline.

[17][18] Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the pact was "a reminder of the constant pressure and threats that present in our region to our own national security".

[18] In February 2024, Al Jazeera reported that the New Zealand Government had lobbied French Polynesian and New Caledonian officials into taking a position on the Chinese—Solomon Islands security pact.

[24][25] Previously, in 2018, Solomon Islands awarded Huawei a contract to build a telecommunications cable network prompting the Australian government to intervene.

[29] Cleo Paskal of The National Interest reflected that the elections in the Solomon Islands will have major strategic implications in the struggle between the United States and China over influence in the Pacific.