{"id":1447663,"date":"2022-04-20T12:31:58","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T16:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1447663"},"modified":"2022-04-20T12:32:11","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T16:32:11","slug":"beijing-foreign-ministry-confirms-safety-pact-with-solomon-islands-officially-signed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/beijing-foreign-ministry-confirms-safety-pact-with-solomon-islands-officially-signed\/","title":{"rendered":"Beijing Foreign Ministry Confirms Safety Pact With Solomon Islands \u201cOfficially Signed\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbeijing-foreign-ministry-confirms-safety-pact-with-solomon-islands-officially-signed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1447663&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Beijing\u2019s Foreign Ministry has confirmed a contentious security pact that will pave the way for Chinese troops and weapons to be stationed in the South Pacific has been officially signed with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-solomon-islands\">Solomon Islands<\/a>\u2019 leadership.<\/p>\n<p>The comments from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has sparked finger-pointing in Australian political circles over the success\u2014and failures\u2014of diplomatic engagement in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Wang confirmed on April 19 that the \u201cFramework Agreement Between the Government of the People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC) and the Government of Solomon Islands on Security Cooperation\u201d had been signed between the PRC\u2019s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the Solomon Islands\u2019 Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeremiah Manele. The latest apparent signing comes after an earlier official \u201cinitialling\u201d of the agreement between foreign representatives <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/beijing-solomons-leaders-sign-pact-to-allow-chinese-ships-weapons-into-south-pacific_4375620.html\">in late March.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Wang Wenbin said the agreement was signed in respect of the \u201cwill and actual need of the Solomon Islands\u201d and that it would \u201cnot target any third party.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4412997\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2.download-55-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium_vertical wp-image-4412997\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2.download-55-525x350.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"525\" height=\"350\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> FILE \u2013 Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, left, and Solomon Islands Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-manasseh-sogavare\">Manasseh Sogavare<\/a> review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein, File)<\/figure>\n<p>Australian and U.S. senior officials have been caught wrong-footed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/new-beijing-solomons-deal-to-put-chinese-weaponry-within-striking-distance-of-australia_4360778.html\">emergence of the deal<\/a> that security experts warn will see the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/echoes-of-south-china-sea-expert-calls-on-pacific-nations-to-stop-chinese-military-deal_4368410.html\">likely militarisation<\/a> of the Pacific Islands\u2014expanding the reach of the Chinese People\u2019s Liberation Army beyond the South China Sea to within 1,700 kilometres of Australia\u2019s northern city of Cairns.<\/p>\n<p>The location of the Solomon Islands is critical and was the site of extensive fighting during World War II because of its influence over sea lanes.<\/p>\n<p>The deal would, in essence, allow the Chinese Communist Party\u2014with the consent of the Solomons\u2014to dispatch police, troops, weapons and even naval ships to \u201cprotect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in the Solomon Islands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, U.S. Indo-Pacific coordinator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-kurt-campbell\">Kurt Campbell<\/a> is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/top-us-diplomat-dispatched-to-solomon-islands-over-chinese-security-pact-report_4395608.html\">due to touchdown<\/a> in the Solomon Islands in the coming days to speak with Solomons\u2019 Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. It comes after\u00a0Australian foreign affairs officials, the presiding Pacific Minister Zed Seselja, and two heads of intelligence all met with the prime minister urging him to call-off the deal.<\/p>\n<p>Australia\u2019s Labor opposition party has blamed the Morrison government for dropping the ball on engagement in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Penny Wong, Labor\u2019s foreign affairs spokesperson, said that under Prime Minister Scott Morrison the region was \u201cless secure\u201d and the risks to Australia were far greater.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe government should have acted sooner. We live in a world where the strategic circumstances we face are riskier and more uncertain than in any time since the end of World War II,\u201d she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on April 20.<\/p>\n<p>Current Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said criticising the government did not recognise that the decisions of the Solomon Islands\u2019 leadership were \u201cdecisions that governments make for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4298666\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/02\/24\/GettyImages-1371553692-1200x727.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-medium_vertical wp-image-4298666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1371553692-578x350-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"578\" height=\"350\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium_vertical wp-image-4298666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1371553692-578x350-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"578\" height=\"350\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks at the 2022 Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 19, 2022. (Alexandra Beier\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt also doesn\u2019t recognise the strength and the engagement that Australia has made through the Pacific Step-up [program],\u201d she told the ABC, noting however that the security pact was not concluded in an \u201copen and transparent way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecurity issues have been dealt with in a Pacific-wide manner, that\u2019s the traditional approach for these issues, and that\u2019s why some Pacific partners have also raised concerns,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Australia\u2019s Pacific minister has ruled out cutting aid spending to the Pacific nation in response to the agreement.<\/p>\n<p>A tactic that geopolitical analyst Cleo Paskal, of\u00a0the Asia-Pacific Programme at the London-based Chatham House, said was needed to put pressure on the Solomon Islands\u2019 prime minister.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSogavare and his members of Parliament are given a choice, \u2018You can deal with China, or you can deal with the rest of the world,&#8217;\u201d she previously told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/beijing-military-deal-could-spur-solomons-pm-to-tighten-hold-over-country-expert_4361403.html\">The Epoch Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Paskal said the prime minister was \u201cdeeply unpopular\u201d in the country, and she proposed the democratic process be galvanised and the prime minister be held to account for implementation of the\u00a02000 Townsville Peace Agreement\u2014which ended unrest in the country and laid the foundation for national democracy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3721583\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/03\/05\/Cleo-Paskal-screenshot-1200x654.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-medium_vertical wp-image-3721583\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Cleo-Paskal-screenshot-642x350-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"642\" height=\"350\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium_vertical wp-image-3721583\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Cleo-Paskal-screenshot-642x350-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"642\" height=\"350\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Cleo Paskal, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, during an interview with the \u201cAmerican Thought Leaders\u201d program, at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla. on Feb. 28, 2021. (The Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cPut out the steps that the various provinces, including Malaita [Province], agreed to. There\u2019s a whole series of things that have already been negotiated\u2014everybody signed on, including the government under Sogavare,\u201d she said, while saying neighbouring countries should stop focusing their efforts on changing the mind of Sogavare, and instead, increase engagement with other stakeholders in the Solomons.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, provincial leaders and the national opposition leader Matthew Wale have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/beijing-solomons-security-deal-a-sword-in-australias-back-opposition-leader_4406035.html\">vocal in their criticism<\/a> of the Beijing security deal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll the drivers of instability, insecurity and even threats to national unity in Solomon Islands are entirely internal,\u201d Wale said in a statement obtained by The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>He called Sogavare a \u201cmercenary\u201d of Beijing, and that the leader had longed for the day he could \u201cexact revenge\u201d on Australia\u2014the prime minister has been a long-time critic of Australia\u2019s involvement in the region claiming it was engaging in \u201ccolonialism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Solomons opposition leader said \u201cthat day [of vengeance] has arrived, and he has gladly thrust his sword into Australia\u2019s back. China is only too happy to oblige Prime Minister Sogavare, there is a meeting of minds on this.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-daniel-y-teng\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/03\/14\/WEB_DanielTeng.jpg\" alt=\"Daniel Y. Teng\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Daniel Y. Teng is based in Sydney. He focuses on national affairs including federal politics, COVID-19 response, and Australia-China relations. Got a tip? Contact him at daniel.teng@epochtimes.com.au.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beijing\u2019s Foreign Ministry has confirmed a contentious security pact that will pave the way for Chinese troops and weapons to be stationed in the South Pacific has been officially signed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":498,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1447663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1447663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1447663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1447663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1447663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1447663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1447663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}