Australia and New Zealand raised concerns over China’s security pact with the Solomon Islands

Asia-Pacific, US April 21, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

China and the Solomon Islands announced a wide-ranging security pact on April 19, without revealing the details of the deal.

The announcement came from the Spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Wenbin during his weekly press briefing. According to Wang, “The foreign ministers of China and the Solomon Islands officially signed the framework agreement on security cooperation recently.”

Wang did not reveal the contents of the security deal and did not provide the exact time or location at which the deal was signed between the two officials.

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare stated that the pact would not “undermine the peace and harmony of the region.”

Sogavare further added the security pact was not aimed toward any of their traditional allies, but it is rather focused on “our own internal security situation.” He did not disclose the details of the security pact and its terms, but insisted that the deal was made “with our eyes wide open, guided by our national interest.”

*^{China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. (Image Credit: VCG)}*

For a long time, the South Pacific nation of Solomon Islands has been under the influence of Australia, which is its strongest ally and biggest aid donor. The deal between China and the Solomon Islands has fueled the western fear that China is building a large naval base in the South Pacific ocean.

A leaked draft of the security agreement, which was also verified by the Australian government, suggests that Chinese warships would be given permission to dock at the Islands and Chinese security forces could enter the Islands in order to “maintain the social order.” The document also indicates that a Chinese military base could be set up on the islands. Australia is particularly concerned with the deal as it is just 2000 kilometers in the south of the Solomon Islands.

The tiny Pacific islands nation has been facing social unrest for a long time. In November 2021, the Australian government sent personnel from its defense forces to help the local administration to quell the deadly riots in the capital city of Honiara.

While speaking about the security pact, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne stated that Australia respects Solomon Islands’ right to make sovereign decisions but, “We would be particularly concerned by any actions that undermine the stability and security of our region, including the establishment of a permanent presence such as a military base.”

Australia’s Labor Party opposition leaders termed the deal as the “worst failure of the Australian foreign policy in the Pacific” in the last 80 years.

The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is currently also campaigning for his re-election, denied that the pact was proof of his government’s diplomacy failure. Morrison said that he cannot go around “telling the leaders of Pacific islands what to do and what not to do.”

*^{Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. (Image Credit: ABC News)}*

New Zealand also expressed concerns about the deal by stating that such plans would “destabilize the current institutions and arrangements that have long underpinned the Pacific region’s security.”

The U.S. National Security Council Official Kurt Campbell is expected to visit the Solomon Islands for high-level talks very soon. The U.S. has said that it will re-open its embassy in the Solomon Islands, which has been closed since 1993.