This came as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the South Pacific would be a “red line” for his government, just days after Beijing and Honiara confirmed the signing of the agreement without revealing details. . The talk of building a naval base by China in the Solomon Islands was “purely false news,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Thursday, accusing the Australian government and media of deliberately distorting the facts. Do you have questions about the biggest issues and trends from around the world? Get answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new editorial content platform with explanations, frequently asked questions, analysis and graphs provided by our award-winning team. Cooperation under the new security pact will include “the maintenance of social order, the protection of human life and property, humanitarian aid [and] “Reactions to natural disasters,” Tan said. Addressing an online event with Pacific nations on the same day, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Xie Feng said that negotiating and signing a security cooperation framework agreement was a “sacred right of two sovereign countries” under international law and regulations. and no one had the right to point the finger at China. “For what reasons can Australia draw a ‘red line’ for the Solomon Islands, 2,000 km. [1,200 miles] away, and China, 10,000 km away? “If not a violation of the sovereignty of another country, interference in the internal affairs of another country and a violation of international rules, what is that?” Xie said Australia’s stance was tantamount to “misinformation, defamation, coercion and intimidation” and proof that it was still “obsessed with colonial myths, pursuing coercive diplomacy, trying hard to control the Pacific Islands to maintain peace”. so-called sphere of influence “. The story goes on “The Pacific is the common home of the peripheral countries, not one’s ‘backyard’ or ‘turf’ and should be a stage for international co-operation, not a chessboard for geopolitical struggles,” he said. The China-Solomon security agreement is “open and transparent [and] “It does not target third parties,” Xie said at a virtual event marking the launch of a climate change cooperation center for China and the Pacific island nation in eastern China’s Shandong province. He said China understood the challenges of climate change facing island nations and was willing to help “as a good friend, partner and brother”. The event was attended by officials from the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Micronesia, Kiribati, Fiji and Vanuatu. Solomon’s Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Ambassador Li Ming attend the inauguration ceremony of a Chinese-funded national stadium complex in Honiara on April 22. Photo: AFP alt = Solomons’s Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese Ambassador Li Ming attend the opening ceremony for a China – the National Stadium Complex was funded in Choniara on 22 April. Photo: AFP> “China has no selfish interest in developing relations and cooperation with the countries of the Pacific islands,” Xie said. “[It] it does not seek “spheres of influence” nor engage in intimidation and coercion, but is always a constructive force for peace and development. “ Since its announcement last week, the China-Solomon Islands security pact has sparked strong concerns from the United States and its allies in the Pacific. The White House sent a high-level delegation to Honiara to warn Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of unspecified actions against his country. US ally Japan also sent a secretary of state on Monday, saying the deal with Beijing could affect security in the entire Asia-Pacific region, while New Zealand has also questioned whether it would destabilize the region. Australia, which is Solomons’s largest aid donor and has security ties with it, reacted even more strongly. He had tried to pressure Sogavare not to sign the deal when the news first surfaced in March. And while Morrison has reiterated his opposition to a Chinese naval base, other politicians have come up with even stronger rhetoric about the deal’s impact on Australia’s national security. Sogavare tried to reassure everyone that a Chinese base was out of the question, urging critics to respect his country’s overriding interests, and said traditional partners such as Australia and New Zealand remain important. This article first appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice report on China and Asia for over a century. For more SCMP stories, explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
