Solomons China base will not happen: Albo
ANTHONY Albanese is “very confident” that China will not establish a military base in the Pacific after meeting with his Solomon Islands counterpart for the first time.
The Prime Minister met Manasseh Sogavare on Wednesday in Fiji’s capital Suva.
Both leaders are there for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) with other political leaders from across the region and greeted each other with open arms when they met for the first time.
The warm exchange follows a controversial security deal between Solomon Islands and China that was signed at the end of the Morrison government’s time in power.
The agreement sparked concern among Australia, New Zealand and US officials over fears that it could lead to a permanent Chinese military presence in the Pacific.
But when asked if there would be any Chinese military bases in Solomon Islands, Mr Albanese said: “No.”
“I’m very confident that won’t happen,” he said on Thursday. “I had a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Sogavare … One of the things we need to do is build personal relations between Australia and our friends in the Pacific to make sure that our interests, but also their interests, are protected.”
Mr Albanese said Solomon Islands was a sovereign nation, and “we’ve got to respect that”, but said he made it clear to Mr Sogavare that a Chinese base in the Pacific would not be in Australia’s best interests.
Mr Albanese on Wednesday reiterated his surprise at how the previous government had responded to the agreement between China and the Solomon Islands.
“I was quite frankly stunned that, in spite of the briefings and the foreshadowing of events in the region, all we saw was (junior minister) Zed Seselja make a visit far too late,” he said in Suva. “We didn’t have that presence at prime ministerial or ministerial level. And I think that was an error of judgment on Australia’s behalf at the time.”
The meeting between the two leaders came on the same day that US Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the Biden administration would triple its spending in the Pacific over the next decade.
The $889m investment will include two new embassies in Tonga and Kiribati and crafting an inaugural national strategy for the region.