China signed security pact with Solomon Islands

BEIJING: China said on Tuesday it has sealed a wide-ranging security pact with the Solomon Islands, an agreement the United States and its regional allies fear could give Beijing a military foothold in the South Pacific.

The confirmation came a day after Washington discouraged a security agreement between the countries, with top US diplomats headed to the South Pacific this week to curb Beijing’s inroads.

But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Tuesday: "The foreign ministers of China and the Solomon Islands officially signed the framework agreement on security cooperation recently."

He did not say when or where the signing took place. A draft version of the agreement leaked last month rattled Western governments, with provisions allowing for Chinese security and naval deployments to the crisis-hit Pacific island nation.

According to the draft, armed Chinese police could be deployed at the Solomon Islands’ request to maintain "social order". Australia said on Tuesday it was "deeply disappointed" by the signing of the deal.

"We are concerned about the lack of transparency with which this agreement has been developed, noting its potential to undermine stability in our region," said a joint statement by Australian foreign minister Marise Payne and Pacific minister Zed Seselja. Earlier this month, Seselja travelled to Honiara, the former British protectorate’s capital, to ask the prime minister in person not to ink the deal.