Australia’s prime minister on Saturday accused China of “some form” of meddling in foreign politics. His home affairs minister previously said Beijing chose to announce the signing of a security deal with Australia’s neighbouring Solomon Islands at this time in order to influence the upcoming Australian election.
Australia will hold a federal election on May 21. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Conservative coalition has increasingly emphasised national security and a tough stance on China. A new poll shows that a majority of Australian voters want the government to take a tough stance on China.
At this time, the CCP unilaterally announced that it had signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands.
“We are very aware of the influence the Chinese government is trying to exert in this country,” Morrison told reporters. “Foreign interference has its form in Australia.”
Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said China’s choice to disclose its recent dealings with the Solomon Islands during the election campaign was a form of foreign interference in Australian elections.
“Why was all this exposed during the campaign? I mean, there are many forms of political interference. So I think we need to be wary of what Beijing is doing and what it is trying to achieve,” he said.
Solomon is less than 2,000km from the Australian coast. News of China’s security pact with the Pacific nation has sparked concerns about China’s military presence in Solomon.
On the 29th, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told parliament that the country would not participate in any militarization of the Pacific region and signed the agreement with China because the security agreement with Australia was insufficient.