The information had leaked last month, it is now official. China has just announced the signing of a security pact with the Solomon Islands, under which its military ships will be able to restock in this South Pacific archipelago. To the chagrin of neighboring Australia, which, like New Zealand and the United States, expressed their concern at the announcement of this news.
With our correspondent in Sydney, Gregory Plesse
China assures us that this security pact forged with the solomon islands is not directed against any third country. But that does not reassure australian governmentwho said to himself ” deeply disappointed by this agreement, which according to him, opens the possibility for China to build a naval base just 1,600 kilometers from its coast.
The Australian opposition, it deplores that the government has done nothing to prevent the signing of this agreement, perceived in Canberra as a threat to the stability of the region.
The inertia of the Australian government pointed out
Scott Morrison however cannot feign surprise. According to Penny Wong, tipped to become Australia’s chief diplomat if Labor wins the election next month, he had known for months: ” As early as August, the leader of the opposition in the Solomon Islands had warned the Australian government of what was going on. But as Scott Morrison was absentee, as a result our region is less safe and the risks to Australia have increased “says Penny Wong.
Last week, the Australian government dispatched a minister to Honiara to try to prevent the signing of this agreement, obviously without much success.
In 2019, the Solomon Islands decided to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan, to tie up with China. A break that occurred only a few months after the accession to power of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
►Also read : Riots in the Solomon Islands: New Zealand sends peacekeepers