Solomons confirms a security deal coming with China; Australia and NZ concerned

26 Mar,22 9:27 am
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Solomon Islands & China Deal: The Solomon Islands recently confirmed that it has signed a policing deal with China.

Key Highlights:

  • The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Anthony Veke, Minister for police in the Solomon Islands with Wang Xiaohong, executive vice minister of China's Ministry of Public Security in a virtual meeting on March 18, 2022.
  • An official of the Pacific island nation’s government said that it will send a proposal for a broader security agreement covering the military to its Cabinet for consideration.
  • If approved, it would be the first time a strategic adversary has been within striking distance of Australia since World War II.
  • A draft copy of a security MOU circulated on social media states that it would cover Chinese police, armed police and the military assisting the Solomon Islands on social order, disaster response and protecting the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in the Solomon Islands.
  • The draft also provides for Chinese naval ships to carry out logistical replenishments in the Solomon Islands, fuelling anxiety in Canberra it would be a step towards a Chinese military base in the region.
  • The Solomon Islands switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, which partly fuelled discontent that led to riots in the capital, Honiara, in November.

Concern over China's move into the Pacific:

  • The arrangements are likely to concern the U.S., which said in February it would open an Embassy in the Solomon Islands.
  • The security treaty, if concluded, would be a major inroad for China in a region that U.S. allies Australia and New Zealand have for decades seen as their “back yard.
  • Australia has a bilateral security agreement with the Solomon Islands covering the deployment of police and armed forces, signed in 2018.
  • Australia has historically provided security support to the Solomon Islands and led a policing mission to restore order in the wake of riots, at the request of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

About Solomon Islands:

  • The Solomon Islands are a sovereign country.
  • It consists of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu.
  • Its capital is Honiara which is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal.
  • The currency used here is the Solomon Islands dollar.

 


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