China pledges to boost ties with law enforcement agencies in Pacific Islands
- Beijing and the Solomon Islands co-hosted a meeting for regional police chiefs that reportedly caused concern among the Australian government
- The Solomon Islands signed a security pact with Beijing earlier this year that allows it to call for help in maintaining social order
Tuesday’s video meeting – on the theme of “Ministerial Dialogue on Police Capacity Building and Cooperation” – was the first of its kind and intended to “establish a more friendly cooperative relationship, form a more efficient cooperation method, and enhance professional law enforcement capabilities”, according to Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily.
The meeting was co-hosted by Wang Xiaohong, China’s public security minister, and Anthony Veke, the Solomon Islands’ police minister, and attended by police chiefs from Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.
“China is willing to work with all parties to jointly cultivate this mechanism of ministerial dialogue, create a sound security environment for the prosperity and stable development of all countries, and contribute to deepening the relationships between China and the Pacific Island countries,” People’s Daily said.
Both countries had urged the island nations to refrain from sending senior ministers, some of whom later pulled out, according to a report by the Australian broadcaster ABC, which cited an anonymous source from a Pacific Island government.