China Security Pact Spurs Jibes Between Australia, Solomons
China Security Pact Spurs New Jibes Between Australia, Solomons
(Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison suggested his Solomon Islands counterpart is increasingly influenced by Beijing, as relations between the two countries continue to slide after the Pacific nation signed a security agreement with China.
Australia and the U.S. have both voiced concerns at the treaty, which represents a diplomatic victory for China in the region. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has repeatedly denied the pact would allow China to set up a military base and on Friday accused Australia of hypocrisy for keeping its own recent security deal with the U.K. and U.S. secret.
“As time goes on and new relationships are entered into, there’s obviously been some, clearly, some other influences in the perspective taken by the Solomon Islands prime minister,” Morrison told reporters Friday. When asked whether Sogavare was parroting China’s rhetoric, Morrison responded: “There’s a remarkable similarity between those statements and those of the Chinese government.”
Australia and the U.S. have long been concerned about the Chinese government developing a military foothold in the Pacific, which would complicate the defense of both countries. Morrison reached a partnership with America and Britain last year that could see Australia field a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines by 2030.
In a parliamentary speech on Friday, Sogavare hit out at Australia for not consulting with its Pacific neighbors on the co-called Aukus defense accord.
“I realize that Australia is a sovereign country and it can enter into any treaty it wants to, transparently or not,” local media cited him as saying. “We did not become theatrical and hysterical about the implications this would have for us.”
China has denied reports that it plans to build a naval base in the Solomon Islands, with a Defense Ministry spokesman on Thursday calling them “fake news.”
The China-Solomons accord comes at a bad time for Morrison, whose coalition government is campaigning for re-election partly off the back of its national security credentials. The main opposition Labor party has styled the treaty as a foreign policy failure for the government.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews earlier this week suggested China had deliberately signed the pact during the election campaign as a form of political interference. Morrison defended that comment on Saturday, though didn’t provide any evidence to back up the claim.
“We’re very aware of the influence the Chinese government seeks to have in this country,” Morrison told reporters.
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