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The Solomon Islands prime minister yesterday acknowledged Australia and China “have strategic security interests” in the South Pacific, noting the archipelago’s partnership with Beijing focused on internal security.
“Our security partnerships, including with China, are domestically focused. We are working hard to address internal security issues,” Jeremiah Manele told a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra.
“Of course, we recognise and appreciate that our partners – China and Australia – also have strategic security interests,” Manele added, insisting that the country views security “through the prism of development” and therefore seeks to partner with all nations.
In 2022, the Solomon Islands emerged as a key player in strategic competition in the Pacific after the previous government of Manasseh Sogavare signed an opaque security agreement with China that included the possibility of deploying Chinese security forces at Honiara’s request.
Despite the Solomon Islands government’s claims that it is “a friend to all and an enemy to none,” the agreement leads the United States and Australia to redouble their cooperation in a neglected region that has been crying out for years for responses to demands that the climate crisis is disproportionately affecting the Pacific island territories.
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In early May, weeks after taking office, Manele said Australia was the preferred partner for the Solomon Islands.
The government official said in Canberra yesterday that he discussed with Albanese ways to “elevate the current relationship (…) through a transformative partnership”, including investments in infrastructure, labour mobility or the climate crisis.
“I am committed to ensuring our relationship with Australia is stronger,” Manele said.
“Australia and Pacific nations are well-positioned to respond to the security needs of our region,” Albanese said, insisting that “security is a matter for our Pacific family.”
The Solomon Islands, with a population of about 700,000, is considered by the United Nations to be one of the poorest countries in the Pacific and relies heavily on international cooperation, especially from Australia and China.
The Solomon Islands economy contracts sharply between 2020 and 2022, but grows by 2.5% in 2023, due to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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