Australia’s Foreign Minister raised concerns about the Solomon Islands on Tuesday.
A day earlier, the Solomon president signed a deal with China on police cooperation: One of nine deals struck during his visit to Beijing.
While there, he said his country had “a lot to learn” from China, but Australia warns the policing deal will “invite further regional contest.”
Back in 2022, a secretive China-Solomon Islands security pact set off alarm bells in the West with some fearing it could give Beijing a military foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands denied that concern.
On the other hand, Washington is plowing ahead with its attempts to re-open the U.S. embassy in the Solomon Islands.