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Solomon Islands won’t allow Chinese military base, says PM’s office

Reuters

Amid a regional backlash, the Solomon Islands said it would not allow a Chinese military base in the Pacific islands nation despite its plans to sign a security pact with Beijing.

A day after officials from the two countries initialed a draft agreement on security, the office of Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said in early April 2022, that the agreement does not invite the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to establish a military base.

“Government is conscious of the security ramification of hosting a military base, and it will not be careless to allow such initiative to take place under its watch,” a statement said.

Sogavare has not released details of the security agreement, amid concern sparked by a leaked draft that would allow Chinese navy ships to replenish in the islands. Ministers have not signed the deal.

When asked about the most recent comments from Solomon Islands officials, the PRC’s Foreign Ministry said the “starting point” of the agreement is to safeguard people and property.

“It does not have any military overtones,” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters.

Four people were killed and much of the Chinatown neighborhood of Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, was destroyed during anti-government protests in November 2021. (Pictured: Australian Federal Police personnel prepare to depart for the Solomon Islands after Australia offered to send diplomats, police and troops to the Pacific island nation to help quell violent protests.)

The leader of the Federated States of Micronesia, President David Panuelo, in late March 2022 urged the Solomon Islands not to sign the security pact, saying he had “grave security concerns” and feared the Pacific region could become embroiled in war between the PRC and the United States.

New Zealand also warned against the pact, saying it could upset long-standing regional security cooperation. Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said he respected Sogavare’s perspective but urged caution.

The PRC has established 20 points of military presence in the South China Sea despite telling the U.S. it would not militarize the region, and Canberra feared Beijing was on a similar pathway in the Pacific islands, Dutton told Sky News.

“They want a military port in PNG [Papua New Guinea]. They’ve got one in Sri Lanka, and they’re looking obviously at other places where they can put them,” he said.

The PRC offered to redevelop a naval base in Papua New Guinea in 2018, but Australia’s closest northern neighbor decided instead to have Australia develop the base.

A Chinese state company runs the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota under a 99-year lease, although Sri Lanka has said the port cannot be used for Chinese military purposes.

A Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands, which are about 2,000 kilometers northeast of Australia, would prompt Australia to significantly increase its military deployment to the region, Dutton said.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the security agreement would undermine stability.

“We don’t believe that there is a need for countries outside the Pacific family to have a security role,” she said.

 

IMAGE CREDIT: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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