#China and #Solomon Islands Draft Secret #SecurityPact, Raising Alarm in the Pacific

//A leaked document has revealed that China and the Solomon Islands are close to signing a security agreement that could open the door to Chinese troops and naval warships flowing into a Pacific Island nation that played a pivotal role in World War II.

The agreement, kept secret until now, was shared online Thursday night by opponents of the deal and verified as legitimate by the Australian government...

it has set off alarms throughout the Pacific, where concerns about China’s intentions have been growing for years.

“This is deeply problematic for the United States and a real cause of concern for our allies and partners,” Charles Edel, the inaugural Australia chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said on Friday.

“The establishment of a base in the Solomon Islands by a strategic adversary would significantly degrade Australia and New Zealand’s security, increase the chances of local corruption and heighten the chances of resource exploitation.”

The leaked document states that “Solomon Islands may, according to its own needs, request China to send police, armed police, military personnel and other law enforcement and armed forces to Solomon Islands to assist in maintaining social order, protecting people’s lives and property.”//

Read the full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/world/asia/china-solomon-islands-security-pact.html

Source: New York Times #Mar24

#Security #InternationalRelations #FiveEyes #Australia #Defense #Pacific #WW2

China’s grand tour: Opposition mounts to Beijing ‘expansionism’ in Pacific

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has accused Beijing of unnecessary expansion of its security reach, as MPs urge her to counter the superpower's "persuasion and pressure".

And Australia's new foreign minister has flown urgently to Fiji in a last-ditch bid to dissuade Pacific Island nations from signing up to a new Chinese security pact.

Source: Newsroom #May28

https://t.co/3VnQ9NVrT9

#China #Australia #NewZealand #Honiara #Pacific

The secretary of defense meets his #Australian counterpart. Both are stressing the need for "rules-based order" in the #Pacific.
A successful #HypersonicMissile test was conducted off California’s coast, with more sophisticated testing coming later this year, as the United States and China race to develop the weapons systems.
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We discuss the potential consequences if the Chinese regime gains the upper hand in the #Pacific, and how it could pose a threat to #American national security.

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In this special report, we delve into the waters of the #Pacific to look at what happens if the #CCP gains the upper hand, and how it impacts not just every American, but the world.

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