Election 2022: ‘Lack of support’ blamed for Solomon Islands deal with China

Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare has blamed ‘inadequate’ support from Australia for his decision to sign a ­security deal with Beijing.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has blamed “inadequate” support from Australia for his decision to sign a ­security deal with Beijing, arguing this was the key lesson of the ­Honiara riots in November.

The comments came as Beijing warned Canberra that it had no right to draw a “red line” against the construction of a military base in the Solomon Islands and ­attempted to use climate change to wedge Australia in the Pacific.

At the virtual opening of a China-Pacific co-operation centre on climate change, China’s Vice-Foreign Minister Xie Feng said concerns about a new military base amounted to “disinformation, defamation, coercion and ­intimidation” and were “colonialist myths”.

“What qualifications does Australia have to draw a ‘red line’ against the Solomon Islands … and China, which is thousands of miles away?” he said.

Speaking in the national parliament of Solomon Islands on Friday, Mr Sogavare also attacked the lack of transparency around the signing of the AUKUS security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US.

Mr Sogavare said his treaty with the Chinese did not “provide for a naval or military base”, adding that he turned to Beijing after Australian support “could not prevent half of Honiara” from being razed to the ground.

“As you all have heard … the cost of the November riots is around $800m (and) 1000 jobs were lost,” he said. “What does that tell you, Mr Speaker?

“Evidently, it is apparent that the security agreement with ­Australia has not managed to prevent and contain the November riots, Mr Speaker.

“As a sovereign country that is responsible for the wellbeing of our people … we have to look elsewhere. Obviously, the security agreement with Australia is inadequate to deal with our hard internal threats.”

Labor has accused the government of not doing enough for the Solomon Islands before the signing of its security deal with Beijing two weeks into the Australian election campaign. It has promised to increase foreign aid to the Pacific by $525m and permanently settle up to 3000 Pacific Islanders a year in Australia.

Responding to Mr Sogavare, Scott Morrison said on Friday that Australia “immediately upon being requested” sent support to the Solomon Islands to assist during the riots.

“We sent the AFP. We sent the ADF out of Townsville,” he said. “Our servicemen and women, they didn’t stay home for Christmas last year. They went and supported peace and stability in the Solomon Islands.

“Pacific peoples greatly ­appreciate the direct support that we provide. And we will continue to do that. That’s why, as Prime Minister Sogavare himself has said, that Australia is their primary security partner in the region.”

Mr Morrison also said he briefed Mr Sogavare on the AUKUS deal the day after it was announced last September, and had provided assurances that Australia would meet its non-proliferation obligations.

Mr Sogavare said the Solomons should have been consulted. “Oh, but I realised, Mr Speaker, that Australia is a sovereign country and that it can enter into any treaty that it wants to – transparently or not – which is exactly what they did (with AUKUS),” he said.

After a failed attempt to halt the signing of the Honiara security deal with Beijing, Mr Morrison said building a military base on the Solomons would be a “red line” for Australia and its partners.