Police guard Solomon Islands Parliament in Honiara on December 6, 2021 afp_tickers This content was published on April 13, 2022 – 09:16 April 13, 2022 – 09:16 (AFP)
Australia urged Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Wednesday not to sign a controversial security deal with China.
In a sign of growing concern over the deal, which is about to be signed, the Australian government has sent its Pacific Minister, Zed Seselja, to the capital, Honiara, to meet Prime Minister Sogavare.
Seselja said in a statement he asked Sogavare to “respectfully consider not signing the agreement and to consult with the Pacific family in a spirit of regional openness and transparency.”
A leaked draft security pact sparked tensions in the region last month over provisions that would allow Chinese security to intervene and conduct naval operations in the Solomon Islands.
This compounded longstanding fears by the United States and its allies about the possibility of China building a naval base in the South Pacific that would allow Beijing to project its naval capability beyond its borders.
“We welcome Prime Minister Sogavare’s recent statements that Australia remains Solomon Islands’ key security partner and his pledge that his country will never be used as military bases by foreign powers,” said the Australian minister.
Seselja’s visit follows a phone conversation Tuesday between US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman and Solomon Islands Secretary of State Jeremiah Manele over plans to reopen the US Embassy in Honiara after 29 years.
Sherman “stressed his concern over recent events in the Asia-Pacific region,” according to his spokesman.
The Financial Times newspaper reported on Saturday that senior White House official for Asia Kurt Campbell will visit the Solomon Islands this month.