China's new military base just down the road

China has a new deal with the Solomon Islands, just off the coast of Australia. There goes the neighbourhood.  

Artwork: Emilia Tortorella

China has a new deal with the Solomon Islands, just off the coast of Australia. There goes the neighbourhood.  

We knew it was coming and now it's a done deal. The Solomons Islands - our neighbours and allies through war and instability - have essentially torched the relationship and turned instead to China. 

It shouldn't be a case of us or them - but given the fraught state of things between Australia and Beijing and the vast differences between the styles of government, it is.

You don't hear much about the Solomon Islands most of the time - a nation of 680,000 people (and a labour force mostly dedicated to farming and fishing) to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu. 

But its new security partnership with China has Western nations wary over a military presence just 1600km from Australian shores.

China has become a sugar daddy of sorts to The Solomons in recent years, handing over $730 million in September 2019 after the island nation switched its allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing. 

While we haven't seen the details just yet, a draft copy of the agreement circulated on social media last week, shows it would enable The Solomons to ­“request China to send police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement and armed forces” to assist in "maintaining social order". 

China could also send warships to the islands for stopovers and to replenish supplies - there's now access to  a strategically critical deep water port - leading to speculation about the possibility of China establishing a naval base on the islands.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja issued a joint statement on Tuesday, saying Australia was “deeply disappointed” at the signing of the agreement.

“We respect Solomon Islands’ right to make sovereign decisions about its national security,” the ministers said.

“Our view remains, however, that the Pacific family is best placed to meet the security needs of the region. We remain concerned about the lack of transparency with which this agreement has been developed.”

And of course because we're in an election campaign there's been no shortage of political games.

"This is the worst failure of Australian foreign policy in the Pacific since the end of World War II," Labor Senator Penny Wong said on Wednesday.

"We have China now with a security agreement with a nation of the Pacific, a nation that's just over 1600 kilometres from Cairns. "What this means is, on Scott Morrison's watch, our region has become less secure, and the risks Australia faces have become much greater."

But Scott Morrison defended his government’s approach on Wednesday, saying they had handled the situation "respectfully". 

“I’m very conscious of how visits are perceived within the Pacific. This was the right calibrated way to address this issue with the Prime Minister. I have had discussions with the Prime Minister personally about these issues,” Mr Morrison said.

Australia, New Zealand and the United States have all expressed concern about the precedent the situation could set for other small Pacific nations.

For weeks Australia has been imploring The Solomons to preserve the exclusive relationship we've have had since World War II. Last week, Seselja, flew to The Solomons to “respectfully” urge Prime Minister Mannaseh Sogavare to abandon the deal.

Regional politics

Despite an incredibly important trade relationship, diplomatic relations with China have been increasingly tense. 

With the Solomons deal, China has gained its first military foothold into the Pacific, and according to a draft version of the treaty, could be the site for their newest military base.

The Solomons keeps telling the world they have “no intention whatsoever … to ask China to build a military base in the Solomon Islands” but Australia and the US are dubious about the Chinese government's plans.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. Picture: Robert Taupongi

When the neighbours mingle

Unlike your typical street party, China and The Solomons getting together in Australia's neighbourhood is a big problem for our national security.

In fact, The Australian's foreign editor Greg Sheridan deemed it a "bad, perhaps disastrous, development for our security."

Jonathan Pryke, Director of the Lowy Institute's Pacific Islands Program told The Oz: "We could have predicted this, really. China has a growing presence in the Pacific, China's communities are targeted in Solomon Islands," he said.

"There's a lot of momentum for China in Solomon Islands. It's a logical move for them to try and strengthen those ties."

But we've been through so much together

In signing this security deal with China, The Solomons could very well bid adieu to their existing security deal with Australia.

Australia has been the sole security partner of The Solomons since World War Two, and has been granted permission to send troops to the islands during periods of unrest.

Just last November, Sogavare begged nations to help with violent riots that erupted in the country’s capital, Honiara.

Our 2021-22 budget provided $156m in development aid to the Solomons. Since 2018, the Solomons have received $320m in security, stability and health assistance.

Australia reckons they've been good friends to the Solomons, but how has that been repaid? By bringing a potential Chinese military base that much closer to Australia’s shores.

BYO

The Solomon Islands government ­didn't object to a Chinese bid to import more than 20 automatic weapons into the country, including two machine guns, to arm a secret 10-person ­security unit.

The Chinese request was made in early December while negotiations were ongoing.

The US asks: where's our invite ?

It's not just Australia fretting over our own backyard.

The US is the leading Pacific power, it could potentially put some of their bases at threat. 

One of America’s top foreign policy makers warned Mr Sogavare that China would effectively "own" the Solomons if he pushes ahead with the agreement.

“My hope is there is a broader, deeper understanding that China at the end of the day will be your owner and minder,” Senator Bob Menendez told Sky News.

“That’s what their ultimate goal is. And they have shown that in ­Africa and other parts of the world, where it seems they are coming in with good intentions, and then their coercive economic policies, their coercive practices, ultimately put you being owned by China.”

Also, remember AUKUS? Seeing as the pact was partly aimed at countering China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, both the US and the UK are understandably concerned about China imposing on the region.

They will be keeping a close eye on any movements.

Why we should keep our cool...

Mr Pryke says we should wait and see the fine print before we lose our minds.

"We haven't seen the final draft, we haven't seen the text, so we can't be 100% sure what's going to happen," he said.

"The original drafts had provisions for basic naval vessels to birth and resupply in Solomon Islands, which could be the start of a journey in that direction. But is it definitely? We don't know.

"I think we need to keep our cool. These things are going to happen. This isn't going to be the last ground gained by China."