Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Pushes Back on Criticism of Deal With China

The US and Australia previously expressed concern and disappointment over the Solomon Islands' decision to sign a security agreement with China, the conditions of which remain undisclosed. The leaked draft of it led to allegations that the island nation could serve as a foothold for the Chinese military in the Pacific.

The Solomon Islands' deal with China was prompted by the nation's need for outside aid in the sphere of domestic security, development as well as climate change threats, and its criticism is completely unwarranted, Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Collin Beck has stated.

Beck cited rapid population growth, which exceeds the country's development pace as one of the key domestic challenges. The country survived violent protests last year, which are believed to have been prompted by unemployment and frustration over government policies.

"When we look at the security vulnerability of the country, you know, we have youth population, about 18,000 youth looking for jobs every year," Beck said.

The foreign affairs secretary went on to stress the challenges the nation faces in terms of climate change, such as islands sinking due to rising sea levels. He argued that this issue affects the economy, tourism and other spheres of life, and that the nation can't resolve the issue on its own.

He however, did not disclose how Beijing will be helping the country in terms of climate change threats.

"Security and development are two sides of the same coin. Now we need to address our development agenda […] Solomon Islands, first of all, is a small island developing state, its vulnerability to climate change is real."

Criticism of Deal With China Not Being 'Fair'

Collin Beck pushed back against the criticism of the Solomon Islands' deal with China by foreign countries, specifically Australia calling it not "fair" to the island nation. He pointed out that this is not the first security deal in the region and Australia itself is a part of several similar agreements such as the Quad group (Australia, India, Japan and the US) and the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US).

The secretary said that Canberra believes it was perfectly normal for itself to be a part of the security agreements that guarantee the country's national security. And yet Australia "scrutinised" the Solomon Islands over a similar agreement with Beijing signed this year, Beck added.

"In international relations, one thing that is really important is equality and fairness […] No one is actually looking at other treaties that exist in the region. The question is why? We have various alliances that exist within the Pacific, which talk about the Pacific, but the Pacific is not in the room."

Beck went on to assure that the provisions of the security deal with China will only be triggered when absolutely necessary. He also assured that the agreement will not effectively turn the Solomon Islands into a military foothold for Beijing.

"It has nothing to do with the establishment of a military base," the secretary said.

The concrete parameters of the agreement remain unknown at the moment. According to Beck, it up to the government of the two countries to decide if they should be disclosed and when it can be done safely.

However, a leaked draft of the agreement suggested that it enabled the Solomon Islands to request Beijing to send "police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement" to the country for the purposes of protecting the social order, the lives of the citizens and the safety of property.

What triggered the concerns of the foreign countries (apart from the fact that it was a deal with China) is that Chinese military ships will allegedly be allowed to visit the Solomon Islands' ports for "logistical replenishment" and "stopovers".

Beijing dismissed these concerns, while accusing Australia, main critic of the deal, of hypocrisy. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin recalled that Australia itself recently signed AUKUS security pact deal that created "nuclear proliferation risks" in the Pacific. Wenbin also reminded Canberra that the Solomon Islands is a sovereign nation and it was not up to Australia to decide how it should govern itself.

"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," Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesman said.

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