Security pact with China ‘no threat’ to regional peace: Solomon Islands PM
- Manasseh Sogavare confirms signing of agreement, tells lawmakers they will have to wait for details
- He also moves to allay the concerns of Washington and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region
China’s security pact with Solomon Islands will not undermine peace in the region, the Pacific nation’s Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said in parliament on Wednesday.
Officials from the US, Japan, New Zealand and Australia met Campbell in Honolulu to share concerns about the security pact “and its serious risks to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to a White House statement.
A leaked draft of the pact included provisions for Chinese police to maintain social order, and for Chinese naval vessels to replenish in the Solomon Islands – alarming Australia at the potential for a Chinese military presence less than 2,000km (1,240 miles away).
New Zealand’s foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta, said on Wednesday Auckland had made clear to both Solomon Islands and China its grave concerns at the pact’s potential to destabilise the Pacific region’s security.
“New Zealand has a long-term security partnership with Solomon Islands, and I am saddened that Solomon Islands has chosen nonetheless to pursue a security agreement outside the region.”