China said on Tuesday it had signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, a move set to heighten concerns of the United States and allies Australia and New Zealand about growing Chinese influence in a region traditionally under their sway.
Douglas Ete, chairman of Parliament's public accounts committee, told fellow lawmakers that Chinese officials would arrive in mid-May to sign cooperation pacts. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told Parliament that a proposed security agreement would not include a Chinese military base.
Australian officials said China appeared to want to pre-empt the arrival of the US delegation in Honiara, which the White House said would discuss concerns about China, as well as the reopening of a US embassy. The NSC later said the United States would "intensify its engagement in the region to meet 21st-century challenges, from maritime security and economic development to the climate crisis and COVID-19."Canberra is concerned that the pact could be a step towards a Chinese military presence less than 2,000 km from Australia's shores.
Last week, Zed Seselja, Australia's minister for international development and the Pacific, visited Honiara to ask Sogavare not to sign.
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