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Australia minister arrives in Solomon Islands to discuss China security pact
Despite a national election campaign putting the Australian government in "caretaker" mode, when ministers traditionally avoid diplomatic engagement with international governments, the Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja landed in Honiara for two days of meetings with the support of Australia's main opposition Labor Party.
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Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (right) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang inspect honour guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on October 9, 2019. (AFP/Wang Zhao)
A
n Australian government minister arrived in the Solomon Islands on Wednesday for talks on a proposed security agreement between the Pacific islands nation and China that Australia opposes.
Despite a national election campaign putting the Australian government in "caretaker" mode, when ministers traditionally avoid diplomatic engagement with international governments, the Minister for International Development and the Pacific Zed Seselja landed in Honiara for two days of meetings with the support of Australia's main opposition Labor Party.
He said his two-day visit would "further strengthen Australia's relationship with the Solomon Islands".
"Australia will continue to be a transparent and respectful partner," Seselja wrote on Twitter after arriving at Honiara's airport.
Officials from China and the Solomon Islands have initialed but not yet signed a security pact that Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and some Pacific islands neighbors have criticized as undermining regional stability.
On Tuesday, a leaked memo surfaced on social media showing the Chinese government had told the Solomon Islands in December it wanted to send a security team of 10 Chinese police with weapons including a sniper rifle, machines guns, and electrical listening devices to protect embassy staff in the wake of riots in Honiara in November. The memo was widely reported by Australian media.
The office of Solomon Island's Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said in a statement the memo was "nothing to be concerned about" while confirming these were "leaked documents containing official correspondences between the Solomon Islands Government and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) Embassy in Honiara".
A separate leaked draft of a security pact with China last month showed it would allow Chinese police to protect companies and infrastructure, and allow naval vessels to replenish in Honiara.
