China, Solomon Islands confirm security deal, US, Australia, New Zealand express concerns – BBC News

Australia’s Pacific Affairs Minister Zed Seselja and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday that Canberra was “deeply disappointed” by the signing of the agreement and said it was “concerned about the lack of transparency in how it was developed”.

Solomon Islands is an island country in the South Pacific, adjacent to Australia and Papua New Guinea, a member of the British Commonwealth. In September 2019, it severed diplomatic relations with the government of the Republic of China in Taipei and established diplomatic relations with the government of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing.

The signing of the deal also means Solomon Islands has rejected Canberra’s last-ditch effort to block it. Australia is the largest donor to the Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands leader Sogavare has yet to reveal the exact terms of the agreement, but insisted it was developed “with our eyes open, guided by our national interests”.

Earlier, a leaked draft agreement verified by the Australian government showed that Chinese warships would be allowed to dock in the island nation, and the Chinese government could also send security forces “to help maintain social order”.

Solomon Islands has been plagued by social unrest in recent years. In November, deadly riots broke out in the country’s capital, Honiara, as protesters stormed parliament, looting and burning buildings in an attempt to overthrow Sogavare’s rule. The Australian government sent Defence Force personnel to help quell the unrest.

Although details of the final agreement have not been disclosed, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Tuesday outlined the areas covered by the agreement.

He said that the two countries will cooperate in “maintaining social order, protecting people’s lives and property, humanitarian assistance, natural disaster response and other fields” and are committed to “helping the Solomon Islands to strengthen capacity building for maintaining national security.”

He also said that the security cooperation between the two countries is to “promote the social stability and long-term stability of Solomon Islands”, which is in the common interests of Solomon Islands and the South Pacific region.

In a joint statement after the agreement was announced, Australia’s Pacific Affairs Minister Sassaga and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Canberra was “deeply disappointed” by the signing of the agreement and said it was “concerned about the lack of transparency in the development of the agreement”.

“Our consistent view, including from the standpoint of Australia’s national interest, remains that the Pacific family is best placed to meet the security needs of the region,” the statement read.

Australia’s opposition Labour Party called it “the biggest failure of Australia’s foreign policy in the Pacific” in 80 years.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is running for re-election, has denied the signing of the agreement proved his government had blundered in its diplomacy with the Solomon Islands.

He said it was impossible for him to “tell Pacific island leaders what they should and shouldn’t do” everywhere.

But Morrison said Australia would not have a “submissive relationship” with China. He said China had made “various commitments” to Pacific countries.

New Zealand’s foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, also said the country was “sad” about the deal.

The announcement of the agreement comes as Kurt Campbell, the U.S. National Security Council’s Indo-Pacific policy coordinator, is about to arrive in the Solomon Islands for high-level talks.

Washington has said it will reopen the embassy in the Solomon Islands, which has been closed since 1993.

The Solomon Islands, located about 2,000 kilometers northeast of Australia, have been particularly concerned by the previously disclosed draft agreement.

The security agreement describes the structure of security cooperation between the two parties. According to the draft agreement, China can send troops to “protect the security of Chinese personnel and major Chinese projects in the Solomon Islands.”

The draft agreement also shows that Solomon Islands can “request China to send police, armed police, military personnel, and other law enforcement and military personnel”.

The draft agreement also includes some clauses “to allow Chinese ships to visit the Solomon Islands to perform logistical replenishment, docking and transshipment”.

Security analysts said the draft agreement was the first to show China’s clear intentions in the region.

Mihai Sora, a Pacific Islands analyst at the Lowy Institute in Australia, previously analyzed: “China has the opportunity to deploy any type of personnel, but the scope of deployment is not clearly defined, nor is it clearly defined. The powers these forces will have.”

It’s far more far-reaching than the Solomon Islands’ only other security deal with Australia.

The agreement with Australia is largely related to peacekeeping, allowing for the rapid deployment of troops on request to the Solomon Islands, which has a long history of violent unrest.

The deal was reactivated last year when deadly riots broke out in the capital Honiara, prompting the deployment of troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu.

Analysts say the Chinese threat on Australia’s doorstep is less about aggression and more about more immediate short-term issues, such as Beijing’s increased intelligence gathering and detection.

Even a smaller Chinese military could help establish its first foothold in the South Pacific, something Australia would have to consider as it could drain its own military resources.

“It’s not about what a Chinese base in the Solomon Islands will bring in a conflict, we’re nowhere near that,” Sora said.