China, Solomon Islands finalising pact to establish military presence at ‘Australia’s backyard’
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES
China and Solomon Islands are negotiating a security agreement to establish a Chinese military presence on the island, according to a leaked draft report.According to the draft security agreement circulating on social media on Thursday, it would allow China to “protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects” in the Pacific, less than 2,000km off Australia’s coast.The leaked document has sent jitters in Australia, which had been helping the Solomon Islands to help maintain peace after it was embroiled in a deadly civil war. The discontent in the island was fuelled by prime minister Manasseh Sogavare’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and switch sides with China.Australia’s minister for home affairs, Karen Andrews, told reporters on Thursday the Pacific was Australia’s “backyard”, when asked about the possibility of the Chinese military operating in the Solomon Islands.“In relation to China, in relation to the Pacific region, that is our back yard, that is our neighbourhood, and we are very concerned about any activity that is taking place in the Pacific islands,” she said.