New Zealand ‘gravely concerned’ by prospect of militarisation of Pacific after Solomon Islands-China deal

New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern has voiced concern over China’s military presence in the Solomon Islands after the latter’s government decided to form a security partnership with Beijing.

“We see such acts as a potential militarisation of the region and also see very little reason in terms of the Pacific security for such a need and such a presence,” Ms Ardern said.

Last week a leaked document suggested China could boost its military presence in the Solomon Islands, including ship visits.

On 24 March, the Solomon Islands government revealed it had signed a security partnership with China, giving rise to concerns among the US and its regional allies, Australia and New Zealand.

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said he had spoken with Ms Ardern over the weekend and that they planned to speak with the leaders of Papua New Guinea and Fiji on Monday.

“This is an issue of concern for the region, but it has not come as a surprise,” he said.

Speaking to Radio NZ, Ms Ardern said the new security arrangement between the Solomon Islands and China was “gravely concerning”.

Talking about security relationships in the Pacific, the New Zealand prime minister urged island leaders “not to look beyond our own Pacific family”.

Anna Powles, a senior lecturer in international security at New Zealand’s Massey University, was quoted by NPR as saying that Australia, New Zealand and the US would be “very concerned” about the draft agreement between the Solomon Islands and China.

China will now be able to sign off on all the information shared about the security agreement – even during media briefings – raising concerns over Beijing’s increased influence in the Pacific.

The agreement also stipulated China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomon Islands “to assist in maintaining social order”. Local reports said China could send its ships to the islands.

Meanwhile, riot police have begun guarding the Solomon Islands parliament in the wake of the agreement. The country erupted in three days of rioting in November when the government revealed it was switching its relations from Taiwan to China.

Local reports quoted police as saying they’ll be taking a “zero-tolerance” policy to any violence.

The agreement will likely “make the geopolitical dynamics in the Pacific even more tense in the long run,” Steven Ratuva, the director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at Canterbury University told 1News.

On Friday, New Zealand’s foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said the agreement with China “could destabilise the current institutions and arrangements that have long underpinned the Pacific region’s security.”

“New Zealand’s High Commissioner in Honiara [Solomon Islands’ national capital] is raising our concerns with the Solomon Islands government and we will also be raising our concerns directly with China,” she said.

Solomon Islands opposition leader Matthew Wale claimed he had warned Australian officials last year that China was planning a security agreement that could see Beijing establish a base in the nation.