New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was critical of the security pact between Solomon Islands and China on Wednesday, reiterating her “concern about the militarization of the Pacific.”
“There was no need for this agreement that has been signed,” Ardern told journalists in Singapore, where he is on an official visit, insisting that all Pacific nations are “prepared and ready to meet the security needs of our neighbors” and advocate for regional dialogue.
Ardern, who acknowledged that Solomon Islands is a sovereign nation, noted that the government of his Solomon counterpart, Manasseh Sogavare, violated the commitments of the Pacific Islands Forum, which requires member nations to discuss Defence issues before making important decisions.
In calling for multilateral dialogue and highlighting the interest of the European Union, Japan and China in the Pacific, Ardern warned that while there are aspects of collaboration with third parties, there are well-defined boundaries in certain critical areas and “the militarization of our region is a very clear line.”
Ardern's statements come in a context of “deep concern”, as expressed by the Australian Government, at the “lack of transparency” of this pact, the signing of which was announced last night by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, without giving any further details.
In addition, the announcement of the signing coincides with the trip this week of a US delegation led by the coordinator of the National Security Council for the Indo-Pacific, Kurt Campbell, and the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink.
The United States representatives, whose travel dates have not been specified, will visit Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
This agreement, which became known last month by the leak of a draft on social media, opens up the possibility that China will send security forces at Honiara's request, while the most tense aspect is the fear that Beijing will establish a naval base in the Pacific, something that the Solomon government denies.
“Incredible pressure on Pacific nations always comes from China, which seeks to undermine regional security,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned today, stating that his country focuses on the Pacific to avoid “those risks”, according to statements collected from public broadcaster ABC.
For his part, Sogavare assured today before the Honiara Parliament that his government has entered into the agreement with “eyes wide open” and affirmed that this alliance will help improve the “police capacity to deal with any future instability” autonomously and without the need to resort to third parties.
The foreign policy shift made by Sogavare, which broke its alliance with Taiwan in 2019 to recognize China, has caused unrest in the opposition and provoked violent protests last November.
(With information from EFE)
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