Australia, New Zealand worried by China deal with Solomons

The Solomons revealed on Thursday it had signed a policing cooperation agreement with China. But more concerning to the Solomons' neighbors was the draft text of a broader security arrangement that was leaked online. Under the terms of the draft agreement, China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomons "to assist in maintaining social order" and for a variety of other reasons. It could also send ships to the islands for stopovers and to replenish supplies. Solomons opposition leader Matthew Wale said he warned Australian High Commissioner Lachlan Strahan in August last year that the government was negotiating a security agreement with Beijing that could lead to the establishment of Chinese bases there.

The Australian and New Zealand prime ministers on Monday voiced concerns about the potential for a Chinese military presence on the Solomon Islands. A document leaked last week indicates that China could boost its military presence in the South Pacific island nation, including with visits by warships. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had spoken to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern over the weekend about the development and planned to speak to his counterparts in Papua New Guinea and Fiji."The reports that we've seen are not a surprise to us and are a reminder of the constant pressure and threats that present in our region to our own national security," Morrison told reporters. "This is an issue of concern for the region, but it has not come as a surprise. We have been long aware of these pressures," he added. Ardern described the possibility of Chinese military forces stationed on the Solomons as "gravely concerning." "We see such acts as the potential militarization of the region," she told Radio NZ. "We see very little reason in terms of the Pacific security for such a need and such a presence," she added. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin dismissed those concerns, saying: "The cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands has been warmly welcomed by the Solomon government and people."  "No attempt to disrupt and undermine the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the Pacific Island countries will succeed," Wang told reporters at a daily briefing Monday.