BEIJING: Leaders of the Solomon Islands and China on Monday (Jul 10) promised to expand relations that have fuelled unease in Washington and Australia about Beijing’s influence in the South Pacific.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare met Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, with Sogavare and Li presiding over the signing of agreements on police, economic and technical cooperation.
“We are here to further boost relations,” Sogavare told Li, following a ceremony where a Chinese military band played the Solomon Islands’ national anthem.
The Solomon Islands, 2,000km northeast of Australia, has been China’s biggest success in a campaign to expand its presence in the South Pacific.
Sogavare’s government switched official recognition in 2019 to Beijing from Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by the mainland’s ruling Communist Party as part of its territory.
“Solomon Islands … has a lot to learn from China’s development experience,” Sogavare told Li, adding that he welcomed an opportunity for dialogue to enhance “bilateral interaction and cooperation”.
The two governments “have decided to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development,” Li said.
“The relationship between China and the Solomon Islands has developed rapidly, and we can now say that it is very fruitful.”
The Solomon Islands signed a secretive security agreement with Beijing that might have allowed Chinese military forces in the South Pacific. However, Sogavare rejected suggestions his government might give Beijing a military foothold in the region.
Source: CNA
