Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has spoken to her Australian counterpart about the draft security agreement between the Solomon Islands and China.
According to a statement from Scott Morrison's office in Canberra, Ardern and Morrison spoke over the phone on Tuesday morning and noted their "shared concerns about any actions that would undermine the security and stability of the Pacific region".
"They discussed their ongoing commitment, as members of the Pacific family, to the Solomon Islands Assistance Force. They also discussed the situation in Ukraine and their cooperation, with other like minded, to support the Ukrainian people in their resistance to Russia’s aggression."
It comes as China lashes out at those "concerned" about the two countries' cooperation and warns any attempt to "disrupt" it is "doomed to fail". The agreement would allow China to station warships at the Solomons' ports.
Responding to a question about concerns from the United States and Australia towards the proposed cooperation agreement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the two countries were sovereign and could make decisions for themselves.
"Relevant countries should earnestly respect Solomon Islands’ sovereignty and its independent decisions instead of deciding what others should and should not do self-importantly and condescendingly from a privileged position," Wang told reporters.
He questioned why "some individuals [are] concerned" about the proposed deal "when the government and the people of Solomon Islands genuinely welcome it?"
It's unclear if this is the case. After the proposed agreement leaked, the Solomon Islands' government Chief of Staff Robson Djokovic stressed it was a draft and hadn't yet gone to Cabinet for final approval.
Unrest in the country's capital of Honiara last year was partly fuelled by anger over the government's decision to withdraw recognition of Taiwan in 2019 and establish relations with Beijing.
"Who has been sending military aircraft and vessels right to others' doorsteps and flex muscles for years that severely threaten relevant countries' sovereignty and security?" Wang said.
"Who has been forming military circles that bring nuclear proliferation risks to the Pacific Ocean? And who has been deliberately hyping up tension and stoking bloc confrontation that cast a pall on regional peace and stability?
"The international community can make a fair judgement, and the people of Solomon Islands and other Pacific island countries can see this clearly. Any attempt to disrupt and undermine mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Pacific island countries is doomed to fail."
Ardern on Monday expressed grave concern over the proposed agreement, which she said could lead to the potential militarisation of the region.
Security assistance could be provided to the Solomons by other countries in the Pacific, she said, as New Zealand and Australia did during the riots there at the end of last year.
"We are in the Solomons currently. We have been for a number of years. In my mind, there is no need for this expansion that we are seeing," she said.
New Zealand's High Commissioner in the Solomons is raising New Zealand's perspective and Aotearoa would also be doing so directly with China, Ardern told reporters. She spoke with Solomon Islands' Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare at the end of last year.
"I think that there is an acknowledgment of the concerns but also assurances around relationships and the security arrangements they will be entering into, but obviously we are not satisfied by that," she said on Monday.
Sogavare is expected to address the country's Parliament on Tuesday. In a statement last Friday, the local government said it was "working to broaden its security and development cooperation with more countries" and that it was its responsibility to protect its people.
A Defence Assessment released by New Zealand in December reported that China is the globe's "major driver of geopolitical change".
"In 2019, China publicly announced its intention to increase its military cooperation in the Pacific, as part of its plan for an enhanced global military footprint," the report said.
"China views an increased presence in the Pacific as part of its natural progression towards its global goals, but there are also more specific reasons for Beijing's interest, spanning geopolitical, strategic and economic drivers."
