A security agreement signed between China and the Solomon Islands in April has created waves of concern across the region and as far as the United States. Originally leaked as a draftThe agreement was officially signed at a meeting in Beijing between the People’s Republic of China and Solomon Islands Foreign Ministry officials, causing alarm over its implications for Australian national security.
The agreement is said to contain a provision that allows the Solomon Islands to call on China to send police and military personnel to assist local law enforcement in maintaining civil order and protecting life and property.
China followed up the Solomon Islands initiative with a tour of the Pacific islands by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who recently met representatives of eight island nations during a visit to Fiji, where diplomats is said to be taking cooperative measures on issues ranging from health to disaster management. Agriculture.
In late May, the president of the Federated States of Micronesia urged 21 other Pacific island nations to disagree with Beijing’s proposal. David Panuelo says The framework for the joint development of the China-Pacific islands is aimed at achieving China’s “access to and control of the area, with the result that it disrupts the peace, security and stability of the region”. “.
Meanwhile, the US has acceleration steps reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands, which had been closed since 1993, and Australia agreed to set up a border post to provide emergency services communications.
Password Summary reached out to several experts on Pacific regional affairs to delve deeper into what this means for the region and for national security.
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