Police talks show China reliable for PICs

Australian media hype reveals attempt to turn region into ‘closed sea’

Following the first ministerlevel dialogue on law enforcement and police cooperation between China and Pacific Island countries (PICs) that successfully concluded on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that China, as a responsible major country, has always been there for the PICs and is a reliable partner the South Pacific island countries can trust, a comment that is exemplified by the achievements of cooperation.

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said at Wednesday’s regular press briefing that China’s cooperation with the PICs is open and transparent. Their cooperation is complementary and non-exclusive vis-a-vis existing regional cooperation mechanisms.

It does not target any other country and is not to be disrupted by any country. China remains open to trilateral or multilateral cooperation with developed countries in PICs, which will benefit all sides, Zhao stressed.

Earlier on Wednesday, Australian media outlet ABC published an article revealing that the dialogue held on Tuesday was closely monitored by Australian officials “who remain anxious about Beijing’s security ambitions in the Pacific, and who have watched the expansion of its police training program in Solomon Islands with growing unease.”

According to the Xinhua News Agency, China and some South Pacific countries on Tuesday held their first minister-level dialogue on law enforcement and police cooperation via video. Wang Xiaohong, a member of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Secretariat and Minister of Public Security, cochaired the dialogue with Anthony Veke, minister of police, national security and correctional services of the Solomon Islands.

Heads of the police departments in Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga and Papua New Guinea attended the dialogue and made statements.

Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, said that the dialogue can promote the successful experience of the cooperation between China and Solomon Islands to more PICs to help solve their urgent needs.

The so-called “Beijing’s security ambitions” mentioned in the ABC report is a misinterpretation as the cooperation between China and the island nations focuses on public security development instead of defense security or national security, and the “concerns” of the Australian media and officials are completely unnecessary, Chen pointed out.

The hyping of the “concerns” only exposes some Western countries’ attempts to turn the South Pacific into a “closed sea,” Chen criticized.