The Solomon Islands has signed a policing deal with China and is to send a proposal for a broader security agreement covering the military to its Cabinet for consideration, a Solomon Islands official said yesterday.
The arrangements are likely to concern the US, which last month said that it would open an embassy in the Solomon Islands after senior US administration officials expressed concern that China wanted to create military relationships in the Pacific islands.
The Solomon Islands switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, which partly fuelled discontent that led to riots in the capital, Honiara, in November last year.
Australia has historically provided security support to the Solomon Islands and led a policing mission to restore order in the wake of riots, at the request of Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
Solomon Islands Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services Permanent Secretary Karen Galokale told reporters that a cooperation agreement signed between the Solomon Islands and China covered policing.
A wider agreement was being discussed, Galokale said.
“Any other arrangement on broad security would be just the same as the Australian agreement,” she told reporters in a telephone interview, giving the first public confirmation of the broader security talks.
“It will have to go to Cabinet,” she said.
Australia has a bilateral security agreement, signed in 2018, with the Solomon Islands, covering the deployment of police and armed forces.
Solomon Islands Minister for Police Anthony Veke said in a statement that he had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chinese Ministry of Public Security Executive Vice Minister Wang Xiaohong (王小洪) on policing cooperation in a virtual meeting on Friday last week.
“The signing of this MOU simply shows to the global community that we are here building meaningful cooperation, one that is based on teamwork and seriousness to develop Solomon Islands,” Veke said.
Galokale also attended the virtual meeting.
A draft copy of a security MOU circulated on social media states that it would cover Chinese police, armed police and the military assisting the Solomon Islands on social order, disaster response, and protecting the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in the Solomon Islands.
Galokale said she was aware of the social media reports and would not speculate on timing for the process to approve a deal.
“We have a broad security treaty with Australia and policing cooperation. If there is anything with the PRC it will be just the same,” she said, referring to China.
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