His Security Pact With China Reaps The Spotlight, PM Sogavare: Respect Solomon Islands Sovereignty, Not Destroy Peace

JAKARTA - The Solomon Islands' decision to sign a security pact with China will not undermine or undermine peace and harmony in the region, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told parliament.

Solomon Islands lawmakers urged Sogavare to publicly disclose the terms of the security pact.

Sogavare said the pact would be disclosed after a 'process', adding security cooperation with China was not directed at any external country or alliance, "but at our own internal security situation".

"I call on all of our neighbors, friends, and partners to respect the sovereign interests of the Solomon Islands with assurances that this decision will not adversely affect or undermine the peace and harmony of our region," he stressed.

Prime Minister Sogavare confirmed the pact had been signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries, a day after China announced the signing at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

The leaked draft includes provisions for Chinese police to maintain social order, and for Chinese naval vessels to reload in the Solomon Islands, which worries Australia.

Sogavare told parliament the day before the pact would not allow Chinese military bases, and said on Wednesday the security pact allowed for the protection of infrastructure, after riots in November saw buildings burned and lives lost.

The move, days before the White House delegation, including Indo Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell, arrived in Honiara, has raised concerns in Canberra about a potential Chinese military presence less than 2.000 kilometers away.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Wednesday New Zealand explained to the Solomon Islands and China its serious concerns over the pact's potential to destabilize the Pacific region.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the Solomon Islands violated an agreement in the main regional group, the Pacific Island Forum, for countries to discuss defense issues with the group before making major decisions.

"We are concerned about the militarization of the Pacific and we continue to call on the Solomon Islands to work with the Pacific, with all concerns surrounding their security," PM Ardern told New Zealand media outlet Stuff.co.nz.

Campbell met with Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama on Wednesday in Suva to discuss regional security, the US embassy said, and will also travel to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The United States, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia share concerns about the Solomon Islands security pact with China and the serious risks it poses to a free and open Indo-Pacific, the White House said earlier in a statement, after officials met in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Australian PM Scott Morrison said on Wednesday Australia had clearly communicated its position to Sogavare. However, it has not sent a foreign minister because it does not want to tell the Pacific islands what to do.