Call me naive but is this not a little disturbing? Or is it to be spun as yet another ScoMo foreign policy triumph.
SMH - March 24, 2022
"China and Solomon Islands are set to sign off on a security deal that will see Chinese warships based in the Pacific and shift the balance of power in Australia’s region.
The agreement will give China the power to use its military to protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in Solomon Islands and give Beijing a base for its navy less than 2000 kilometres off Australia’s coast. The base would be the first time Australia has had a strategic adversary within striking distance of its coastline since World War II."
Good thing we’re not at a historical low point in aid expenditure in the Pacific and not pursuing policies that condemn island nations to destruction via sea level rise. We should be able to win them back.
Australia and US were both given the opportunity to support progress by investing in Solomon Islands. China’s deal had less strings attached and was more immediate, and didn’t have the paternalistic overtones of especially Morrison’s offer.
Some will raise the military significance but it is more about the economic loss. Our trade with Pacific islands is small but significant and China’s influence will spread and their business will grow and build throughout the region. Australia has had a monopoly in Oceania for a long time, and has never been a great neighbour.
Absolutely criminal by our “leadership” to allow this to happen. For decades we have treated our island neighbours as second class citizens, dumping grounds to our detention centres, our mining and now china will be on our door step.
The one thing we had to protect us from any future chinese aggression was our distance and their lack of logistical ability to cause any great concern. Well thats gone now. So we have no jets, no subs, no tanks and now china within striking distance.
This government will go down as the greatest threat to our sovereignty. And I’m not talking about china!
It’s not sexy to work on the Pacific Islands desk. I recall a photo of Howard at a PIF meeting, did not want to be there, would rather be mixing it with our great and powerful friends across the water.
Political resources have waxed and waned
Where is France in all this?
You guys are gonna be seriously ■■■■■■ when you go into any Australian capital. The Chinese have their own block. It’s literally called China Town, and it’s right under our noses.
Some of this is connected to recent domestic political unrest, when the ADF was called on to help.
The unrest was linked to tensions between ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs - mostly Taiwan supporters - and ethnic Solomon Islanders, exploited by politicians in a power struggle as to who governs.
Reportedly it is a draft internal document, leaked to embarrass the current party in power.
Some Pacific Islands in the past had been effectively bribed to recognise ROC as the legitimate China.
Then again, there used to be French Indo China - still some very strong connections with ethnic Vietnamese in France, French still spoken in parts of Indo China.
China has the world’s largest number of naval hulls on the water. And that’s a number increasing steadily. If this proceeds which seems likely I’d expect several modern Aircraft Carriers, a small fleet of nuclear subs (well we can’t complain can we now) and a few frigates as a welcome pack to the SI sitting comfortably inside their new base.
Unless Uncle Sam somehow stymies this … China will throw people and money at this. And dropping anchor 2000 miles outside our doorstep.
Hardly surprising that China feels the need to increase their military presence in the south Pacific given the threatening rhetoric by our leaders of late.
