QResear.ch

#21252211 at 2024-07-20 14:40:01 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #37: EVERYTHING IS AT STAKE Edition

#36 - Part 98
Australia / China Tensions - Part 22
>>21172337 China disputes 'smear and frame' cyber attack report - China has criticised the US global surveillance network as it faces questions about a multinational report saying a Chinese government-backed hacking group is repeatedly targeting governments across the Pacific. The Australian government took the forthright step of naming the Sino-backed group APT40 in a report released on Tuesday. Five Eyes allies Canada, New Zealand, the US and the UK co-authored the report, as did Germany, South Korea and Japan. "We are firmly opposed to such repeated hypes about so-called 'Chinese cyber attacks' aimed to smear and frame China on cybersecurity," People's Republic Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in China on Tuesday. Chinese institutions had analysis showing US APT (advanced persistent threat) groups spread "disinformation", hyping up the Chinese cyber attack threat, Mr Lin said. "(The US is) using its tech predominance to carry out massive cyberspace surveillance all over the world," he said. The Australian government report says APT40 is actively conducting regular reconnaissance against networks of interest in Australia, looking for opportunities to compromise its targets. "The tradecraft described in this advisory is regularly observed against Australian networks," it says in the Australian Signals Directorate report. The APT40 group conducts malicious cyber operations for the People's Republic of China Ministry of State Security, it says in the report.
>>21185603 Australia and allies must spend more on defence to stop 'peril' of our times, Kurt Campbell warns - Australia, the US and other allied nations must increase their defence budgets and military preparedness because of the "enormous peril" of the times we live in and China's increased strategic co-operation with Russia, Iran and North Korea, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has warned. Dr Campbell is Washington's single most influential policy figure on Asia. He became Deputy Secretary of State after three years in the White House as the national security council co-?ordinator on the Indo-Pacific. In the Obama administration, he was assistant secretary of state for East Asia and before that held important positions in the Pentagon. In a first for any US administration, Dr Campbell told The Australian that China was actively seeking to establish a military base in the South Pacific. The Australian government believes such a development would be catastrophic for Australian and New Zealand security, but Washington and Canberra have previously been shy of explicitly and publicly calling out Beijing's military intentions. This Chinese ambition poses a permanent challenge for Australian and American diplomacy. "They're looking across the Pacific," Dr Campbell said. "This is something where we're never going to be able to rest." He said Chinese interests in the South Pacific extended far beyond a military base: "They're looking for a variety of things. There are vast fishing resources in the Pacific which are being over-fished by Chinese fishing fleets. "When China looks at its space operations, they need nodes on the ground. They've built some of those nodes in the South Pacific. "They're looking for steaming sites, places for resupply and power projection."
>>21217753 Xi meets PMs of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu; visits deepen bilateral ties - "Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele and Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai in Beijing on Friday. During the meeting with Manele, Xi said that China is ready to enhance strategic communication with the Solomon Islands to firmly support each other in safeguarding core interests and addressing major concerns, enhance the synergy between the Belt and Road cooperation and the development strategy of the Solomon Islands. China's friendly cooperation with the Solomon Islands and other Pacific Island countries is a sincere effort to assist these island nations in achieving development, falls within the framework of South-South cooperation, and is part of the common development of the Global South, without targeting any third party or seeking any selfish gain, he said. When meeting with Salwai, Xi said China will continue to provide economic and technical assistance to Vanuatu without attaching any political conditions, to help it achieve development and prosperity. Xi emphasized that China is committed to equality among all countries, big or small, and adheres to the principle of combining justice with interests while prioritizing justice. China does not seek major-power competition or geopolitical spheres of influence. It does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries or force them to take sides." - GT staff reporters - globaltimes.cn

#21252207 at 2024-07-20 14:39:28 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #37: EVERYTHING IS AT STAKE Edition

#36 - Part 96
Australia / China Tensions - Part 20
>>21077001 Journos fall for spin as they tiptoe around China - "Had China's diplomats not tried to shut out Sky News Australia reporter Cheng Lei from two Canberra events, our media would have let Prime Minister Anthony Albanese get away with a largely false narrative: he and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are repairing the China relationship broken by Albanese's predecessor, Scott Morrison. The rift started during Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership when, in August 2018, Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei was banned from the 5G telecommunications rollout on security advice. The Australia-China relationship really hit the rocks at the end of January 2020, when prime minister Morrison banned flights from China in the early stages of the spread of Covid-19, and then called for an international investigation into the emergence of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan. Morrison was right on both counts. The truth is that just as China's bullying of Cheng Lei backfired, its strategy of using trade to punish Australia for speaking up on Covid was a spectacular own goal. Some of the world's leading economics and foreign policy journals, including The Economist, The Atlantic and Foreign Policy, have not only called out the failure of China's bullying but praised Australia for resisting pressure from the world's number two economy. Discussing our China trade relationship, reporters should have been led by the facts rather than by Labor's spin. The Coalition did a lot wrong during the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison years, but it mostly got China right and it certainly got the AUKUS submarine partnership with the US and UK right. Journalists need to take care not to appear to be pushing the false narratives of their preferred side of politics." - Chris Mitchell - theaustralian.com.au
>>21077018 Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele seeks budget bailout - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele will seek an ?urgent budget bailout for his country when he meets Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Wednesday amid improving relations between Canberra and Honiara. Mr Manele is in Australia on his first international trip as the country's leader, before heading on to Beijing and Tokyo. The six-day trip comes amid ongoing Australian concerns over Solomon Islands' security ties with China, which have been exacerbated in recent weeks by an alleged covert visit to Honiara by a delegation of Chinese police. Sources in both countries said the Australia-Solomon Islands relationship had stabilised since Mr Manele replaced former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare on May 2. Mr Manele flagged three weeks into his term that he would be seeking substantial budget support from Solomon Islands' partners, noting such funding "will further cement our relations". After a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Mr Manele said he wanted to discuss "the possibility of much, much larger bilateral co-operation partnerships" to fast-track his country's development. Mr Manele is expected to make a similar pitch to China, but Beijing typically doesn't provide cash, preferring loan-funded infrastructure projects.
>>21110238 Police pledge for Solomon Islands to 'strengthen regional stability' - Anthony Albanese has pledged Australian support to help Solomon Islands double the size of its police force as the country's new Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele vowed a Pacific-first security policy cementing Australia's role as its primary partner ahead of China. In bilateral talks in Canberra on Wednesday, Prime Minister Albanese said Australia would come up with a plan to help Solomon Islands increase the size of its police force from 1500 to 3000 officers to strengthen its sovereignty and improve regional stability. Mr Manele laid out a three-tier security framework for his country prioritising domestic policing, co-operation with Melanesian partners, and strengthened ties with Pacific Island Forum nations including Australia. The policy which pointedly excludes China follows Solomon Islands' controversial security partnership with Beijing signed by the country's mercurial former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare. Mr Manele, who received a ceremonial welcome to Parliament House, said he wanted to "lift the current Solomon Islands-Australia relationship to another transformational partnership". "I've committed to ensure our relationship with Australia goes from strength to strength. I have also committed to finding win-win solutions to any areas of our partnership that may require attention," he said.

#21252154 at 2024-07-20 14:32:06 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #37: EVERYTHING IS AT STAKE Edition

#36 - Part 77
Australia / China Tensions - Part 1
>>20886418 Video: Former US fighter pilot accused of giving military secrets to China - A former US Marine fighter pilot and current Australian citizen is facing extradition to America, accused of sharing military secrets with China. Who is the real Daniel Duggan? It's a simple question, but the answer is highly contested and has enormous consequences. For his family and a large group of supporters, he's a hero. A former US Marine fighter pilot turned proud Australian citizen; a loving husband and devoted dad. For others though, namely the United States government, he's a traitor, accused of supplying China with top-secret military information. For the past 19 months, Duggan has been sitting in Australian prisons fighting attempts to send him back to the United States. As Dimity Clancey reports, a decision about his extradition is expected within weeks, but if the Americans get a hold of him and can prove the allegations, he faces up to 65 more years locked up. It's a thought his wife Saffrine and six children are struggling to comprehend. - 60 Minutes Australia
>>20890891 Video: Chinese ambassador to New Zealand critical of AUKUS Pillar Two - The Chinese ambassador to New Zealand has issued a stern warning over AUKUS as NZ explores the possibility of joining Pillar Two of the US-led security pact. Speaking at the China Business Summit in Auckland today, Ambassador Wang Xiaolong spoke about China's economic outlook and its trade relationship with New Zealand. It comes as the Government considers joining AUKUS's non-nuclear second pillar, which would move New Zealand further away from China - our biggest trade partner. AUKUS is a deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States under which Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines for its defence force. The stated aim of Pillar Two is about sharing advanced technology, like artificial intelligence and quantum computing. The tech could also include drones or support systems for hypersonic weapons. In his speech, Wang said China and New Zealand's relationship was at a "critical juncture". He was heavily critical of AUKUS and said it would only serve to heighten tensions in the region. "The sole purpose of the second pillar is to serve and support nuclear-related military cooperation under the first pillar rather than being an innocent platform for technology sharing," he said. "Many people in New Zealand and beyond believe that joining such an alliance in whatever form is indeed taking sides."
>>20895188 Australia keen to keep police in Solomon Islands - Australia stands ready to help Solomon Islands build a military force, as Defence Minister Richard Marles seized the opportunity to hold talks with the nation's new prime minister. Mr Marles has travelled to Honiara for high-level meetings as the Pacific nation transitions to a new government under the leadership of Jeremiah Manele. The defence minister, who pledged $50 million for border management and a health centre on Tuesday, said Australia would help establish a military as previously put forward by former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare. "If Solomon Islands wishes to walk down that path, we stand ready to assist Solomon Islands in the establishment of such course," he said. Mr Marles said the government was "very open" to ensuring an ongoing presence of Australian police remained in Solomon Islands. A security deal inked with Beijing in 2022 by Mr Sogavare, who encouraged Chinese investment in the Pacific Island nation, alarmed Australia and the US. Mr Manele said his nation was ready to discuss a "much, much larger bilateral co-operation" with Canberra. "Australia remains Solomon Islands' partner of choice and I want to see our relationship grow to new heights during my tenure as prime minister," he told Mr Marles in his first meeting as leader, a statement read.

#21251714 at 2024-07-20 13:26:27 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

#36 - Part 98
Australia / China Tensions - Part 22
>>21172337 China disputes 'smear and frame' cyber attack report - China has criticised the US global surveillance network as it faces questions about a multinational report saying a Chinese government-backed hacking group is repeatedly targeting governments across the Pacific. The Australian government took the forthright step of naming the Sino-backed group APT40 in a report released on Tuesday. Five Eyes allies Canada, New Zealand, the US and the UK co-authored the report, as did Germany, South Korea and Japan. "We are firmly opposed to such repeated hypes about so-called 'Chinese cyber attacks' aimed to smear and frame China on cybersecurity," People's Republic Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in China on Tuesday. Chinese institutions had analysis showing US APT (advanced persistent threat) groups spread "disinformation", hyping up the Chinese cyber attack threat, Mr Lin said. "(The US is) using its tech predominance to carry out massive cyberspace surveillance all over the world," he said. The Australian government report says APT40 is actively conducting regular reconnaissance against networks of interest in Australia, looking for opportunities to compromise its targets. "The tradecraft described in this advisory is regularly observed against Australian networks," it says in the Australian Signals Directorate report. The APT40 group conducts malicious cyber operations for the People's Republic of China Ministry of State Security, it says in the report.
>>21185603 Australia and allies must spend more on defence to stop 'peril' of our times, Kurt Campbell warns - Australia, the US and other allied nations must increase their defence budgets and military preparedness because of the "enormous peril" of the times we live in and China's increased strategic co-operation with Russia, Iran and North Korea, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has warned. Dr Campbell is Washington's single most influential policy figure on Asia. He became Deputy Secretary of State after three years in the White House as the national security council co-?ordinator on the Indo-Pacific. In the Obama administration, he was assistant secretary of state for East Asia and before that held important positions in the Pentagon. In a first for any US administration, Dr Campbell told The Australian that China was actively seeking to establish a military base in the South Pacific. The Australian government believes such a development would be catastrophic for Australian and New Zealand security, but Washington and Canberra have previously been shy of explicitly and publicly calling out Beijing's military intentions. This Chinese ambition poses a permanent challenge for Australian and American diplomacy. "They're looking across the Pacific," Dr Campbell said. "This is something where we're never going to be able to rest." He said Chinese interests in the South Pacific extended far beyond a military base: "They're looking for a variety of things. There are vast fishing resources in the Pacific which are being over-fished by Chinese fishing fleets. "When China looks at its space operations, they need nodes on the ground. They've built some of those nodes in the South Pacific. "They're looking for steaming sites, places for resupply and power projection."
>>21217753 Xi meets PMs of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu; visits deepen bilateral ties - "Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele and Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai in Beijing on Friday. During the meeting with Manele, Xi said that China is ready to enhance strategic communication with the Solomon Islands to firmly support each other in safeguarding core interests and addressing major concerns, enhance the synergy between the Belt and Road cooperation and the development strategy of the Solomon Islands. China's friendly cooperation with the Solomon Islands and other Pacific Island countries is a sincere effort to assist these island nations in achieving development, falls within the framework of South-South cooperation, and is part of the common development of the Global South, without targeting any third party or seeking any selfish gain, he said. When meeting with Salwai, Xi said China will continue to provide economic and technical assistance to Vanuatu without attaching any political conditions, to help it achieve development and prosperity. Xi emphasized that China is committed to equality among all countries, big or small, and adheres to the principle of combining justice with interests while prioritizing justice. China does not seek major-power competition or geopolitical spheres of influence. It does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries or force them to take sides." - GT staff reporters - globaltimes.cn

#21251706 at 2024-07-20 13:24:44 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

#36 - Part 96
Australia / China Tensions - Part 20
>>21077001 Journos fall for spin as they tiptoe around China - "Had China's diplomats not tried to shut out Sky News Australia reporter Cheng Lei from two Canberra events, our media would have let Prime Minister Anthony Albanese get away with a largely false narrative: he and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are repairing the China relationship broken by Albanese's predecessor, Scott Morrison. The rift started during Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership when, in August 2018, Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei was banned from the 5G telecommunications rollout on security advice. The Australia-China relationship really hit the rocks at the end of January 2020, when prime minister Morrison banned flights from China in the early stages of the spread of Covid-19, and then called for an international investigation into the emergence of the pandemic in the city of Wuhan. Morrison was right on both counts. The truth is that just as China's bullying of Cheng Lei backfired, its strategy of using trade to punish Australia for speaking up on Covid was a spectacular own goal. Some of the world's leading economics and foreign policy journals, including The Economist, The Atlantic and Foreign Policy, have not only called out the failure of China's bullying but praised Australia for resisting pressure from the world's number two economy. Discussing our China trade relationship, reporters should have been led by the facts rather than by Labor's spin. The Coalition did a lot wrong during the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison years, but it mostly got China right and it certainly got the AUKUS submarine partnership with the US and UK right. Journalists need to take care not to appear to be pushing the false narratives of their preferred side of politics." - Chris Mitchell - theaustralian.com.au
>>21077018 Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele seeks budget bailout - Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele will seek an ?urgent budget bailout for his country when he meets Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Wednesday amid improving relations between Canberra and Honiara. Mr Manele is in Australia on his first international trip as the country's leader, before heading on to Beijing and Tokyo. The six-day trip comes amid ongoing Australian concerns over Solomon Islands' security ties with China, which have been exacerbated in recent weeks by an alleged covert visit to Honiara by a delegation of Chinese police. Sources in both countries said the Australia-Solomon Islands relationship had stabilised since Mr Manele replaced former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare on May 2. Mr Manele flagged three weeks into his term that he would be seeking substantial budget support from Solomon Islands' partners, noting such funding "will further cement our relations". After a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Mr Manele said he wanted to discuss "the possibility of much, much larger bilateral co-operation partnerships" to fast-track his country's development. Mr Manele is expected to make a similar pitch to China, but Beijing typically doesn't provide cash, preferring loan-funded infrastructure projects.
>>21110238 Police pledge for Solomon Islands to 'strengthen regional stability' - Anthony Albanese has pledged Australian support to help Solomon Islands double the size of its police force as the country's new Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele vowed a Pacific-first security policy cementing Australia's role as its primary partner ahead of China. In bilateral talks in Canberra on Wednesday, Prime Minister Albanese said Australia would come up with a plan to help Solomon Islands increase the size of its police force from 1500 to 3000 officers to strengthen its sovereignty and improve regional stability. Mr Manele laid out a three-tier security framework for his country prioritising domestic policing, co-operation with Melanesian partners, and strengthened ties with Pacific Island Forum nations including Australia. The policy which pointedly excludes China follows Solomon Islands' controversial security partnership with Beijing signed by the country's mercurial former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare. Mr Manele, who received a ceremonial welcome to Parliament House, said he wanted to "lift the current Solomon Islands-Australia relationship to another transformational partnership". "I've committed to ensure our relationship with Australia goes from strength to strength. I have also committed to finding win-win solutions to any areas of our partnership that may require attention," he said.

#21251575 at 2024-07-20 13:08:24 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

#36 - Part 77
Australia / China Tensions - Part 1
>>20886418 Video: Former US fighter pilot accused of giving military secrets to China - A former US Marine fighter pilot and current Australian citizen is facing extradition to America, accused of sharing military secrets with China. Who is the real Daniel Duggan? It's a simple question, but the answer is highly contested and has enormous consequences. For his family and a large group of supporters, he's a hero. A former US Marine fighter pilot turned proud Australian citizen; a loving husband and devoted dad. For others though, namely the United States government, he's a traitor, accused of supplying China with top-secret military information. For the past 19 months, Duggan has been sitting in Australian prisons fighting attempts to send him back to the United States. As Dimity Clancey reports, a decision about his extradition is expected within weeks, but if the Americans get a hold of him and can prove the allegations, he faces up to 65 more years locked up. It's a thought his wife Saffrine and six children are struggling to comprehend. - 60 Minutes Australia
>>20890891 Video: Chinese ambassador to New Zealand critical of AUKUS Pillar Two - The Chinese ambassador to New Zealand has issued a stern warning over AUKUS as NZ explores the possibility of joining Pillar Two of the US-led security pact. Speaking at the China Business Summit in Auckland today, Ambassador Wang Xiaolong spoke about China's economic outlook and its trade relationship with New Zealand. It comes as the Government considers joining AUKUS's non-nuclear second pillar, which would move New Zealand further away from China - our biggest trade partner. AUKUS is a deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States under which Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines for its defence force. The stated aim of Pillar Two is about sharing advanced technology, like artificial intelligence and quantum computing. The tech could also include drones or support systems for hypersonic weapons. In his speech, Wang said China and New Zealand's relationship was at a "critical juncture". He was heavily critical of AUKUS and said it would only serve to heighten tensions in the region. "The sole purpose of the second pillar is to serve and support nuclear-related military cooperation under the first pillar rather than being an innocent platform for technology sharing," he said. "Many people in New Zealand and beyond believe that joining such an alliance in whatever form is indeed taking sides."
>>20895188 Australia keen to keep police in Solomon Islands - Australia stands ready to help Solomon Islands build a military force, as Defence Minister Richard Marles seized the opportunity to hold talks with the nation's new prime minister. Mr Marles has travelled to Honiara for high-level meetings as the Pacific nation transitions to a new government under the leadership of Jeremiah Manele. The defence minister, who pledged $50 million for border management and a health centre on Tuesday, said Australia would help establish a military as previously put forward by former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare. "If Solomon Islands wishes to walk down that path, we stand ready to assist Solomon Islands in the establishment of such course," he said. Mr Marles said the government was "very open" to ensuring an ongoing presence of Australian police remained in Solomon Islands. A security deal inked with Beijing in 2022 by Mr Sogavare, who encouraged Chinese investment in the Pacific Island nation, alarmed Australia and the US. Mr Manele said his nation was ready to discuss a "much, much larger bilateral co-operation" with Canberra. "Australia remains Solomon Islands' partner of choice and I want to see our relationship grow to new heights during my tenure as prime minister," he told Mr Marles in his first meeting as leader, a statement read.

#21217753 at 2024-07-16 09:57:46 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

>>21077018
>>21110238
Xi meets PMs of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu; visits deepen bilateral ties

Cooperation between China, PICs mutually beneficial, not targeted at any other country: experts

GT staff reporters - Jul 12, 2024

1/2

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele and Prime Minister of the Republic of Vanuatu Charlot Salwai in Beijing on Friday.

During the meeting with Manele, Xi said that China is ready to enhance strategic communication with the Solomon Islands to firmly support each other in safeguarding core interests and addressing major concerns, enhance the synergy between the Belt and Road cooperation and the development strategy of the Solomon Islands.

China's friendly cooperation with the Solomon Islands and other Pacific Island countries is a sincere effort to assist these island nations in achieving development, falls within the framework of South-South cooperation, and is part of the common development of the Global South, without targeting any third party or seeking any selfish gain, he said.

When meeting with Salwai, Xi said China will continue to provide economic and technical assistance to Vanuatu without attaching any political conditions, to help it achieve development and prosperity.

Xi emphasized that China is committed to equality among all countries, big or small, and adheres to the principle of combining justice with interests while prioritizing justice. China does not seek major-power competition or geopolitical spheres of influence. It does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries or force them to take sides.

The visits of the two leaders from the Pacific Island countries (PICs) not only deepened the relations between China and the two PICs, but also paved the way for enhanced cooperation that will benefit both sides in various aspects, as well as contributing to regional peace and stability. Unlike some Western countries, China's cooperation with the PICs is based on mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, without targeting any third party or attaching any political conditions, analysts said.

The visits of the leaders of the two PICs demonstrate that China's cooperation with them will be more comprehensive, with the goal of enhanced exchanges to promote mutual development and regional stability and prosperity, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Friday.

"China has been fostering strong and mutually beneficial cooperation relations with the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, and China's assistance to the area, including infrastructure, has made a significant contribution to promoting the economic development of these nations," said Yu Lei, a professor at the Department of International Politics and Economics at Shandong University.

Yu noted that in the wake of the pandemic, the PICs are tasked with expediting economic recovery and growth, while also addressing local employment needs and fostering a conducive environment for economic progress by enhancing local infrastructure development, Yu told the Global Times on Friday.

China is a very important provider of infrastructure and public goods in the Pacific Island region, which has been recognized and praised by the PICs, as they hope to promote the development of local infrastructure through mutually beneficial cooperation with China, Yu said.

(continued)

#21110238 at 2024-06-29 15:39:38 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

>>21077018
Police pledge for Solomon Islands to 'strengthen regional stability'

BEN PACKHAM - June 26, 2024

Anthony Albanese has pledged Australian support to help Solomon Islands double the size of its police force as the country's new Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele vowed a Pacific-first security policy cementing Australia's role as its primary partner ahead of China.

In bilateral talks in Canberra on Wednesday, Prime Minister Albanese said Australia would come up with a plan to help Solomon Islands increase the size of its police force from 1500 to 3000 officers to strengthen its sovereignty and improve regional stability.

Mr Manele laid out a three-tier security framework for his country prioritising domestic policing, co-operation with Melanesian partners, and strengthened ties with Pacific Island Forum nations including Australia.

The policy which pointedly excludes China follows Solomon Islands' controversial security partnership with Beijing signed by the country's mercurial former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare.

Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw attended the leaders' talks to help flesh out details of an upcoming support package that is expected to include a major police training boost.

Mr Albanese said he had tasked ministers and officials to "work together on next steps".

"Australia and Pacific Island nations are well placed to meet the security needs of our region," the Prime Minister said. "We regard security as the job of our Pacific family."

Mr Manele, who received a ceremonial welcome to Parliament House, said he wanted to "lift the current Solomon Islands-Australia relationship to another transformational partnership".

"I've committed to ensure our relationship with Australia goes from strength to strength. I have also committed to finding win-win solutions to any areas of our partnership that may require attention," he said.

He downplayed Solomon Islands' security pact with China as a "domestically-focused" agreement that was aimed at helping the country to address "internal security challenges".

Mr Manele's visit to Australia is his first since he was elected Prime Minister and comes amid improving bilateral ties. He will head to China after departing Australia, and then travel to Japan.

The Solomons' budget is in disarray, prompting a plea for a cash injection from Australia. The Albanese government is considering the request but a funding package is yet to be finalised.

Mr Manele is expected to make a similar pitch to China, but Beijing typically doesn't provide cash, preferring loan-funded infrastructure projects.

China's state-owned Global Times said the Beijing leg of Mr Manele's trip would be the "highlight" of his inaugural overseas tour, citing analysts who predicted a boost to bilateral ties.

Mr Manele said his major focus as Prime Minister was strengthening his country's economy, and he wanted to work with both Australia and China to create sustainable employment in key sectors.

"Going forward, I believe creating permanent jobs ... in Solomon Islands is critical," he said.

"Our focus is on the productive sector - forestry, fisheries, tourism. Those sectors are critical for us."

Mr Albanese said Australia was committed to supporting Solomon Islands' economy, flagging fresh support for the country's renewable energy sector and skills development for Solomon Islanders through Australia's Pacific workers scheme.

"Our position when it comes to the Pacific and economic development is very clear, which is we provide support for the Pacific family because that's who we are," he said.

"It's not a transactional thing. It's not something in which we seek to do anything other than have mutual benefit."

Mr Sogavare - who is now Solomon Islands' Treasurer and Finance Minister - conceded days ago that the country would be forced to implement cost-cutting measures due to "(tax) exemptions, mismanagement and corruption".

Solomon Islands' MP Peter Kenilorea, who leads a bloc of nine independents in the country's parliament, said Mr Manele's trip was "all about finances".

But he urged the Albanese government to "keep those purse strings tight".

"Why would Australian taxpayers bail us out when we don't have our house in order?" he asked.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/police-pledge-for-solomon-islands-to-strengthen-regional-stability/news-story/a7d44c24cff6e9e78c66f6b2477f3c84

#21077018 at 2024-06-24 11:06:54 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

>>20808099 (pb)
Solomon Islands PM Jeremiah Manele seeks budget bailout

BEN PACKHAM - JUNE 24, 2024

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele will seek an ?urgent budget bailout for his country when he meets Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Wednesday amid improving relations between Canberra and Honiara.

Mr Manele is in Australia on his first international trip as the country's leader, before heading on to Beijing and Tokyo.

The six-day trip comes amid ongoing Australian concerns over Solomon Islands' security ties with China, which have been exacerbated in recent weeks by an alleged covert visit to Honiara by a delegation of Chinese police.

Sources in both countries said the Australia-Solomon Islands relationship had stabilised since Mr Manele replaced former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare on May 2.

Mr Manele flagged three weeks into his term that he would be seeking substantial budget support from Solomon Islands' partners, noting such funding "will further cement our relations".

After a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Mr Manele said he wanted to discuss "the possibility of much, much larger bilateral co-operation partnerships" to fast-track his country's development.

Mr Manele is expected to make a similar pitch to China, but Beijing typically doesn't provide cash, preferring loan-funded infrastructure projects.

The Solomons' budget is in disarray, with Mr Sogavare - who is now Treasurer and Finance Minister - conceding days ago that the government would be forced to implement cost-cutting measures due to "(tax) exemptions, mismanagement and corruption".

Solomon Islands' MP Peter Kenilorea, who leads a bloc of nine independents in the country's parliament, said Mr Manele's trip was "all about finances".

"The coffers here are really dry in terms of government revenue collection. And there's big promises that they need to deliver on. There's money they need to get for the so-called CDF - the Constituency Development Fund."

The fund needs to deliver about $860,000 for each of the country's 50 electorates, requiring the government to come up with about $43m.

Mr Kenilorea urged the Albanese government to "keep those purse strings tight". "Why would Australian taxpayers bail us out when we don't have our house in order?" he asked.

Rather than giving cash, he said Australia should fund specific programs such as the purchase of much-needed medicines.

Mr Kenilorea said the Prime Minister's trip came amid divisions in the country's police force, with two factions now in dispute over an allegedly unauthorised visit to the country by four Chinese police officers.

The Australian has seen copies of the passport details of the four alleged officers, but the force's commissioner has denied they ever entered the country.

Former Australian high commissioner to Solomon Islands James Batley said Solomon Islands security ties with China - cemented in a bilateral agreement signed by Mr Sogavare - remained the biggest thorn in the bilateral relationship.

He said Australia's willingness to help the country climb out of its budget black hole would likely depend on whether Mr Manele was prepared to heed Australia's concerns on China.

"If he can provide sufficient assurances, his case will be listened to more seriously," Mr Batley said.

The May budget revealed Australian taxpayers gave a $600m budget support loan to Papua New Guinea in 2023-24.

It's understood Solomon Islands is seeking direct funding from Australia's aid program.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/solomon-islands-pm-Jeremiah-Manele-seeks-budget-bailout/news-story/6d4ccec3a94c19709b785f2aed92925c

#20895188 at 2024-05-21 11:09:47 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

>>20808099
Australia keen to keep police in Solomon Islands

Dominic Giannini - May 21 2024

Australia stands ready to help Solomon Islands build a military force, as Defence Minister Richard Marles seized the opportunity to hold talks with the nation's new prime minister.

Mr Marles has travelled to Honiara for high-level meetings as the Pacific nation transitions to a new government under the leadership of Jeremiah Manele.

The defence minister, who pledged $50 million for border management and a health centre on Tuesday, said Australia would help establish a military as previously put forward by former prime minister Manasseh Sogavare.

"If Solomon Islands wishes to walk down that path, we stand ready to assist Solomon Islands in the establishment of such course," he said.

Mr Marles said the government was "very open" to ensuring an ongoing presence of Australian police remained in Solomon Islands.

A security deal inked with Beijing in 2022 by Mr Sogavare, who encouraged Chinese investment in the Pacific Island nation, alarmed Australia and the US.

Mr Manele said his nation was ready to discuss a "much, much larger bilateral co-operation" with Canberra.

"Australia remains Solomon Islands' partner of choice and I want to see our relationship grow to new heights during my tenure as prime minister," he told Mr Marles in his first meeting as leader, a statement read.

In addition to Mr Manele, the defence minister met with deputy Bradley Tovosia and other top ministers.

A border management system delivered in partnership with Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomons will get $3.2 million to help visa processing and revenue collection through a new system.

A birthing and health centre in East Honiara will get $45 million to support mothers accessing pre and post-natal care. Australia will also provide medical equipment and staff training.

Mr Marles' visit comes against the backdrop of heightened competition in the Pacific, with the Solomons being the first regional nation to sign a major policing pact with China.

Mr Manele has indicated the pact would remain under his government.

Australia sought to be the Solomons' go-to security partner and had to work to earn that right, Mr Marles said.

Mr Manele, the previous minister for foreign affairs, was elected prime minister on May 2.

Pacific expert Tess Cains said hopes of returning to a time before Beijing signed a security pact were likely to be dashed, despite the new leader.

Friction points between Australia and the Solomons under Mr Sogavare, partly due to his "more natural fieriness", were likely to subside somewhat under Mr Manele, Dr Cain said.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8636081/australia-keen-to-keep-police-in-solomon-islands/

https://solomons.gov.sb/pm-Manele-and-dpm-marles-held-fruitful-discussions/

#20886351 at 2024-05-19 08:39:40 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

#35 - Part 76
Australia / China Tensions - Part 11
>>20808099 Solomon Islands chooses China-friendly ex-diplomat Jeremiah Manele as new prime minister - Solomon Islands lawmakers have elected as their new prime minister Jeremiah Manele, a former foreign minister who has pledged to continue the Pacific country's policy of embracing China. Manele said outside parliament on Thursday "the people have spoken" and called for calm. "I humbly stand before you, as your elected prime minister. We must respect and uphold the democratic process," Manele said. The previous PM, Manasseh Sogavare, withdrew from the contest this week and backed Manele after failing to secure a majority in last month's election. Manele was foreign minister in 2019 when Sogavare's government turned its back on Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with Beijing.
>>20808144 Bob Carr accuses Winston Peters of defamation after NZ deputy PM calls him a 'Chinese puppet' - Australia's former foreign minister and New South Wales premier, Bob Carr, says he intends to sue New Zealand's deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, for allegations made about Carr's closeness to China as debate about Aukus ramps up. Peters called Carr "nothing more than a Chinese puppet" on the national broadcaster RNZ on Thursday morning. Carr shared his criticisms of the pact on a visit to Wellington in April, calling it "bullshit" and saying he admired New Zealand foreign policy as it wasn't as "gullible to the Americans" as Australia's. "What on earth does he think he's doing walking into our country and telling us what to do?" Peters told RNZ. "We would no more do that in Australia than he should do here. That's the kind of arrogance we don't like." In statement to the Post, Carr said these comments were "entirely defamatory" and he would be taking legal action.

>>20813748 Allies unite as Beijing pushes the boundaries in South China Sea - Australia will ramp up participation in joint naval exercises with the US, Japan and The Philippines under a co-ordinated security plan to deter increasingly aggressive Chinese incursions into Filipino waters. Defence Minister Richard Marles travelled to Hawaii to flesh out the strategy with counterparts on Friday. He said afterwards that Australia was "utterly committed to asserting freedom of navigation". The commitment will place Australian sailors on the frontline of maritime tensions in the South China Sea amid repeated clashes between Chinese and Filipino vessels. On Tuesday, China's Coast Guard damaged two Filipino vessels en route to the Scarborough Shoal, prompting the 20th diplomatic protest by Manila against such conduct this year. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin blasted China over the ?"irresponsible behaviour" of its ships, saying the action breached international law.
>>20813816 Bob Carr sues NZ Deputy PM Winston Peters over 'Chinese puppet' insult - New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has appeared to dig in over comments about Bob Carr, for which the former Labor foreign minister is suing him. Mr Carr's lawyers have written to Mr Peters, who is also NZ Foreign Minister, confirming their intention to sue for defamation after Mr Peters called Mr Carr a "Chinese puppet," on NZ radio. But on Friday morning, just half an hour before he was due to address the NZ China Council, Mr Peters went back on the attack, lashing out at an "irrelevant, ill-informed shill from some other country." Without naming his target, Mr Peters wrote on X: "We should never be accepting of any irrelevant ill-informed shill from some other country to walk into New Zealand and try to tell us what to do.

#20886350 at 2024-05-19 08:39:20 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #36: BADGE OF HONOR Edition

#35 - Part 75
Australia / China Tensions - Part 10
>>20798679 Solomon Islands opposition parties combine in race to form government - The two major opposition parties in the Solomon Islands struck a coalition deal on Saturday as they vie with former Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare's party to form a government after an election delivered no clear winner. Last week's election was the first since Sogavare struck a security pact with China in 2022, inviting Chinese police into the Pacific Islands archipelago and drawing the nation closer to Beijing. The election is being watched by China, the U.S. and neighbouring Australia because of the potential impact on regional security.
>>20798689 Solomon Islands: Unexpected defeat for Sogavare - The Solomon Islands election of 17 April was widely anticipated to result in a sweeping victory for Manasseh Sogavare's government. Sogavare, who has been prime minister on four separate occasions, is only the second head of government in his country's history to serve a full term. He fended off an opposition no-confidence challenge in late 2021, extended his parliamentary term for seven months to 2024, and presided over a diplomatic switch from recognising Taiwan to links with China in 2019. A subsequent security deal with Beijing in April 2022 and the deployment of Chinese police to the capital, Honiara, led Australian media reporters to warn of an emerging Chinese-assisted authoritarian regime. Yet what transpired on 17 April was an emphatic defeat for the ruling party.
>>20798708 Pro-China Solomons leader Sogavare steps down after 'awful' election result - The most pro-China leader in the Pacific, Manasseh Sogavare, has conceded his prime ministership is over after suffering a bruising voter backlash in this month's Solomon Islands elections, a development that will come as a major relief to Australian officials. Sogavare has been the dominant figure in Solomon Islands politics over more than two decades, holding the prime ministership on four separate occasions since 2000. Sogavare has often had an antagonistic relationship with Australia, alarming Australian officials when he switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019 and again in 2022 when he agreed to a secretive security pact with Beijing. Sogavare announced he was standing aside from the prime ministerial leadership contest on Monday to allow Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele to run for the position on behalf of a coalition led by his Ownership, Unity and Responsibility (OUR) Party.

>>20798716 Manasseh Sogavare exits Solomon Islands' PM race - Solomons Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has called time on his five-year rule of the ?Pacific nation after losing his ?majority in parliament, in a move which may reset the Solomons' pro-China direction. Mr Sogavare on Monday conceded he would not have the numbers in a hung parliament to stay on and will instead leave his Foreign Minister, Jeremiah Manele, to attempt to put together a coalition to keep his Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party in power. Voters had rejected a Sogavare re-election platform anchored by a "look north" strategy that would deepen security and ?economic ties with China despite Australia's heightened efforts to strengthen ties with the Pacific nation. The Prime Minister, who is on his fourth separate stint in the Solomons' top job, on Monday said it was time for new leadership and blamed local media for the backlash he suffered from voters.
>>20798733 Manasseh Sogavare was China's man in the Pacific. Will his exit as prime minister reverberate across the region? - After switching the country's diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China in 2019, Mr Sogavare led Solomon Islands in an entirely new direction. He signed a security pact with the country and was seen as China's man in the Pacific, openly embracing the Chinese Communist Party's governing style - even going as far as saying it felt like "home" when visiting China. He consistently amplified combative stoushes with Western democracies, such as Australia and the United States - whether they were real or not - and last week even made unsubstantiated claims of influence by the US in the Solomon Islands election. Heading into this month's national election, for many Solomon Islanders, it seems, all this was an unnecessary distraction. They were dealing with other issues: the terrible roads, high rates of unemployment, a health system on its knees, access to education and the constant dark clouds of corruption. Mr Sogavare's party lost more than half of its 37 seats at the April 17 election. And last night he resigned. With Mr Sogavare now gone, what does it mean for Solomon Islands and the region?

#19601978 at 2023-09-24 10:38:57 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #32: YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS FIGHT Edition

>>19601965
Solomon Islands PM shuns Joe Biden as Timor-Leste signs deal with China

Reuters / theage.com.au - September 24, 2023

Sydney/Washington: The Unites States is disappointed Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare will not attend a Pacific Islands summit with US President Joe Biden next week, the White House said.

Biden will host a second summit with leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum at the White House on Monday as part of his efforts to step up engagement with a region where the US is in a battle for influence with China.

Sogavare's withdrawal came after China and Timor-Leste announced on Saturday they had upgraded bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, potentially giving Beijing more influence in the region while satisfying the young half-island nation's desire for stronger ties with major economies.

The agreement to enhance relations came after China's President Xi Jinping met with Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou ahead of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"Both sides will increase mutual support and strengthen international co-operation," said Xi.

Last year, when Jose Ramos-Horta was inaugurated as Timor-Leste's fifth president since the country's independence in 2002, the Nobel laureate pledged to forge closer relations with China, especially in energy, agriculture and infrastructure.

He said he would continue to foster a relationship with the United States, but added that Timor-Leste would not be implicated in any rivalry between Beijing and Washington.

Timor-Leste welcomes strong ties with all countries, including its southern neighbour Australia, Ramos-Horta said last year.

Upgrading their ties, China and Timor-Leste agreed to co-operation under the Belt and Road Initiative championed by Xi, that could open the way for investment in infrastructure.

Looking beyond South-East Asia, China has built ties with small nations in the Pacific during recent years, worrying the US and allies Australia and New Zealand, who have long seen the region as their sphere of influence.

China sent its military-run hospital ship to the Pacific in July to visit countries including Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands.

In a joint declaration, released on state-run China Central Television (CCTV), China said it would provide help for Timor-Leste's economic and societal development.

Biden's summit with the 18-member forum will take place on Monday and Tuesday (US time) in Washington.

"We are disappointed that PM Sogavare of the Solomons does not plan to attend," a Biden administration official said.

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele will reportedly attend the summit instead.

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister's Office did not respond to a request for comment.

Sogavare spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday in New York, where he praised China's development co-operation as "less restrictive, more responsive and aligned to our national needs", and said Beijing was its lead infrastructure partner.

Sogavare said he reached an understanding with President Xi Jinping during a July visit to China for Solomon Islands to achieve development through China's policies, including the Belt and Road Initiative and Global Security Initiative.

Vanuatu's Prime Minister Sato Kilman also will not attend the meeting, an official from his office said, because all Vanuatu government lawmakers need to be in parliament on Monday for a no-confidence vote.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/oceania/solomon-islands-pm-shuns-joe-biden-as-timor-leste-signs-deal-with-china-20230924-p5e75u.html

#19601965 at 2023-09-24 10:34:03 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #32: YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS FIGHT Edition

Solomon Islands PM snubs meeting with US president, praises China's 'global security initiative' in UN speech

Nick Sas and Chrisnrita Aumanu-Leong - 23 September 2023

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has declined a White House invitation to meet with US President Joe Biden at next week's Pacific leaders' summit.

In a move that will further stoke Australian and US concerns over Mr Sogavare's perceived lean towards China, Mr Sogavare will return to Solomon Islands capital Honiara next week after delivering his speech to the United Nations General Assembly Friday night.

United States authorities are reportedly disappointed by Mr Sogavare's decision to decline the invitation.

He is the only Pacific leader to decline, apart from Vanuatu's new Prime Minster Sato Kilman, who has remained in Port Vila to navigate a brewing political crisis after taking power two weeks ago.

A Solomon Islands government official told the ABC Mr Sogavare would not attend because of "domestic issues", saying Mr Sogavare needs to be back in the Honiara parliament for a raft of bills, and the invitation from the White House came after parliament business had been set.

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele will attend in Mr Sogavare's place.

The White House summit, in its second year, was initiated by the Biden administration to reboot relations in the Pacific region as China continues its own aggressive push.

Pacific leaders will meet with Mr Biden and attend a range of events across a three-day period in Washington starting on Monday.

The White House said the summit was designed to "reaffirm the US commitment to our shared regional priorities and deepening our cooperation around them".

The US - by its own admission - has been largely absent in the Pacific region over the past three decades, but has been loudly proclaiming it is "back" to help with development issues and the lingering threat of climate change.

It reopened its embassy in Solomon Islands last year, and US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy told the ABC that Washington had "hundreds of millions" ready to spend in the country but was "waiting for permission" from the Solomon Islands government.

Sogavare praises Belt and Road initiative

Western powers have been increasingly concerned over Solomon Islands' moves towards China since it signed a secretive security pact last year.

China has been pouring money into the country and has funded a new national stadium and infrastructure developments for the upcoming Pacific Games, which will be held in November.

Mr Sogavare has defended his country's position, saying it is "friends to all, enemies to none", and has rejected claims the security pact will lead to China building a military base in the country.

In his speech at the United Nations overnight, Mr Sogavare called for global peace and spoke about the "toxic mix of geopolitical power posturing" in the region.

The speech called for greater action on climate change, but it focused on more equity in trade and fairer partnerships for developing nations.

And in comments that will no doubt raise anxieties in Canberra, Mr Sogavare singled out China in his speech, praising the country for its work as a development partner and highlighting the "comprehensive strategic framework" he developed with China's President Xi Jinping during his visit in July.

"We applaud the People's Republic of China for the initiative in accelerating the implementation of the 2030 agenda through their Belt and Road initiative, global development initiative [sic], global security initiative and global civilisation initiative," he said.

Australia is by far Solomon Islands' biggest aid donor and has been leading development projects in the country for decades, but China is the country's largest trade partner.

In his strongest condemnation yet, Mr Sogavare also denounced Japan's release of wastewater from Fukushima's crippled nuclear plant.

In comments echoing China's concerns - and going against the views of leaders from Fiji and Papua New Guinea - he said he was "appalled" by the move and warned of effects on the South Pacific's waters.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-23/solomon-islands-sogavare-snubs-biden-invitation-china/102893366

#16729118 at 2022-07-14 08:08:55 (UTC+1)
Q Research Australia #25: My Koala Hates Spam Too Edition

>>16729115

2/2

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday addressed the Pacific Islands Forum and pledged to deliver $900 million in fisheries economic development aid over the next decade, along with the return of the Peace Corps to the region, a US Pacific strategy and climate change co-operation. Harris indirectly accused China of being a "bad actor seeking to undermine the rules-based order".

"These international rules and norms have brought peace and stability to the Pacific for more than 75 years. Principles that importantly state that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states must be respected, principles that allow all states big and small to conduct their affairs, free from aggression, or coercion."

Chinese diplomats, who were not accredited for the forum, took notes of Harris' speech at the Grand Pacific Hotel but would not respond to requests for comment.

"I think that there's an element of geostrategic competition to [the US announcement]," said Conroy. "There's no use denying that because that's a fact of life."

Climate, China's rising influence and COVID have dominated discussions at the leader's meeting - which continues after the last-minute withdrawal of Kiribati - a small island nation increasingly linked with Beijing. Kiribati said on Monday it had withdrawn from the meeting after determining that Micronesian voices were not being heard by Pacific leaders.

Conroy said Australia had offered to fly Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau to Fiji. "If Kiribati wanted to get to the Pacific Island's meeting, we would be very happy to facilitate that," he said. Conroy confirmed Australia flew three Micronesian leaders to Suva in June to sign off on the Suva agreement - a deal that allowed the forum's secretary-general Henry Puna to stay in power, while guaranteeing Micronesian leaders a greater say in the summit, a compromise that has been threatened by the withdrawal of Kiribati.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Wednesday afternoon. The Solomons leader has been the leading advocate for greater Chinese government influence in the region and advocated for a Pacific-wide economic and security pact to be endorsed in May after signing his own deal in April.

Conroy said he had "really positive discussions about the way forward and how we rebuild the relationship" with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele.

"I think we start by accepting the assurances of the Solomon Islands government that there won't be a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands," he said.

"We're intent on rebuilding that relationship to ensure that Australia is the security partner choice for the Pacific as well as the partner of choice on development, on climate on all those issues."

Conroy, who was chief of staff to Greg Combet as climate change minister, said his priority at the forum was introducing the new Australian government to Pacific leaders.

"We have a very clear message that we're listening now, we're respecting what their priorities are," he said. "Number two is to inform them and make sure they're aware of our very different climate change and Pacific policies. And third is to play our part in trying to rebuild Pacific unity."

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/pacific-minister-says-australia-is-open-to-partnering-on-chinese-projects-20220713-p5b17j.html

#16356414 at 2022-05-28 13:42:17 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

>>16343917
China to consider funding new police training centre in Solomon Islands

Madison Watt and Stephen Dziedzic - 28 May 2022

China will consider building a police training centre in Solomon Islands, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi tours the Pacific in a bid to increase its influence in the region.

In addition to the possible new police training facility in the Solomons, China will also help Samoa build a fingerprint lab to go with the construction of an already announced new police academy.

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele announced the proposal during his Chinese counterpart's visit to Honiara on Thursday.

"China... will further a consider a proposal... for a police training centre and support towards police infrastructure and assets given the country's fragile security environment," Mr Manele said during a press conference that was boycotted by local media.

China's Foreign Minister is currently on an eight-nation tour of the Pacific, during which he is seeking a sweeping regional deal on security and trade, ahead of a group foreign ministers meeting with 10 Pacific nations in Fiji on Monday.

Mr Wang met with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa on Saturday and discussed regional priorities of climate change, COVID-19 and security.

After the meeting, Samoa's government released a statement announcing China would help build a new fingerprint laboratory in addition to the previously announced construction of a police academy.

Increase in police training support

The proposal for a Chinese-funded police training centre in Solomon Islands mirrors that of a 2020 promise to build a police school in Samoa, as China seeks to increase its influence in the region through police training support.

In March, Solomon Islands police published pictures of their officers brandishing replica assault rifles donated by the Chinese government, as part of a new police training program run by Chinese police.

At the time, there were questions over the legality of the shipment of the replica guns, as well as the future implications of such firearms training.

Experts and opposition politicians believe the move to bring in replica arms clearly suggested the police force was planning to bring in real weapons from China in the future.

Australian officials are also warning that China might encourage more brutal and confrontational tactics to put down local protests, inflaming existing political and ethnic tensions.

China seeks sweeping multilateral deal

Earlier this week, it was revealed China is hoping to strike a deal with 10 Pacific nations during Mr Wang's tour of the region.

The sweeping agreement covers everything from security to fisheries and is seen by at least one Pacific leader as an attempt by Beijing to wrest control of the region.

A draft communique and five-year action plan sent by Beijing to 10 Pacific nations prompted pushback from the leader of the Federated States of Micronesia, who said it showed China's intent to control the region and "threatens regional stability".

News of the proposed deal follows last month's announcement of a new security pact between Solomon Islands and China, in a move that has concerned traditional regional partners such as the US and Australia, as well as intelligence officials.

That pact has raised fears that China could send troops to the island nation or even establish a military base there, not far from Australia.

Solomon Islands and China say there are no plans for a base.

Mr Wang's Pacific tour coincides with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong's own visit to the Pacific, meeting with Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama on Friday in her first official trip to the region since being sworn in last week.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-28/china-considering-funding-new-police-academy-in-solomons/101107682

#16350041 at 2022-05-27 11:59:25 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

>>16343917
>>16350025
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

Wang Yi Expounds on Three Principles of China-Solomon Islands Security Cooperation

2022-05-26

On May 26, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister of Solomon Islands Jeremiah Manele jointly met the press in Honiara.

In response to a reporter's question about the China-Solomon Islands framework agreement on security cooperation, which has aroused some debate and suspicion, Wang Yi said that the framework agreement on security cooperation negotiated between China and Solomon Islands is the cooperation between sovereign countries, which aims to assist Solomon Islands in improving its policing and law enforcement capabilities and support Solomon Islands to better safeguard its social security while also protecting the safety of Chinese citizens and institutions in Solomon Islands, which is reasonable and legitimate with everything being operated in an open and transparent manner.

Wang Yi further expounded on three principles for China and Solomon Islands to promote security cooperation.

The first principle is to fully respect the national sovereignty of Solomon Islands. China-Solomon Islands cooperation is based on Solomon Islands' needs and requirements, on the premise of Solomon Islands' consent, and on the basis of equal consultation. It is never China's foreign policy, nor is it Chinese style, to impose business deals on others, interfere in Solomon Islands' internal affairs, or damage other countries' interests.

The second one is to help maintain the social stability of Solomon Islands. China-Solomon Islands security cooperation includes assistance in maintaining social order, protecting lives and property in accordance with the law as well as conducting humanitarian relief and natural disaster response at the request of Solomon Islands. The aim is to help Solomon Islands strengthen police capacity-building, offset the security governance deficit and maintain domestic stability and long-lasting peace and security. China-Solomon Islands security cooperation is aboveboard and frank, not imposing on others, not targeting third parties and not intending to establish military bases.

The third one is in parallel with regional arrangements. China supports Pacific Island Countries in strengthening security cooperation and working together to address regional security challenges. China also supports the existing regional security cooperation arrangements. At the same time, China-Solomon Islands security cooperation and the existing regional arrangements complement each other, sharing the same objectives and interests. China-Solomon Islands security cooperation conforms to the common interests of Solomon Islands and the South Pacific region.

Wang Yi stressed that Pacific Island Countries are sovereign and independent states and are not anyone's "backyard"; both countries have the right to make their own choices, not being subordinate to others. Any smears and attacks on China-Solomon Islands normal security cooperation will be a dead end and any interference and sabotage will be doomed to failure.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202205/t20220526_10693195.html

#16350025 at 2022-05-27 11:55:47 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

>>16343917
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Damukana Sogavare Meets with Wang Yi

2022-05-27

On May 26, 2022 local time, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Damukana Sogavare met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Prime Minister's Office in Honiara.

Sogavare asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings to the Chinese leaders and his heartfelt thanks to China for its strong support and great help for Solomon Islands' development. He expressed that Solomon Islands firmly supports China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, firmly defends the one-China principle, and always stands shoulder to shoulder with China on the right side of history.

Sogavare said that China has become the largest infrastructure partner and a reliable development partner of Solomon Islands. He thanked China for providing anti-pandemic materials as well as rapid testing equipment and dispatching medical teams to Solomon Islands. He also appreciated China's timely provision of police supplies and sending police advisors to help maintain social security after the riots in Honiara. The cooperation between Solomon Islands and China is based on equal treatment and mutual respect, witnessing increasingly close ties in various fields and bringing tangible benefits to Solomon Islands' people.

Wang Yi conveyed the Chinese leaders' cordial greetings and good wishes to Prime Minister Sogavare, expressing China's appreciation of Solomon Islands' firm will to safeguard national interests, strong desire to develop China-Solomon Islands friendly cooperation, staunch adherence to the one-China principle and its friendship policy toward China. China also firmly supports Solomon Islands in safeguarding national sovereignty and independence, maintaining domestic solidarity and unity, and accelerating the realization of national prosperity and strength in accordance with the development path chosen by Solomon Islands.

Wang Yi said that friendship, whenever it happens, is cherishable. The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Solomon Islands is not long, but it has a good start and witnesses the steady and rapid development. The two countries witness increasingly deepening political mutual trust and broad prospects for practical cooperation, having become close friends with mutual trust and good partners with mutual support. Facts have showcased that Solomon Islands' political decision to establish diplomatic relations with China is totally in line with the trend of development and progress of the times as well as the fundamental and long-term interests of Solomon Islands' people. China is willing to work with Solomon Islands in the spirit of seizing the day and giving full play to the late starter's advantage so as to make the bilateral relations stronger and promote deeper cooperation for bringing more benefits to the two peoples.

Sogavare thanked China for speaking up for Solomon Islands at the UN Security Council and expressed his willingness to continue to enhance communication and cooperation with China in international affairs. Wang Yi stressed that the evolution of the current changes unseen in a century is accelerating and unilateral bullying acts are rampant, while the collective rise of emerging markets and the peace and development are still inexorable trends. China is willing to work with Solomon Islands to strengthen coordination and cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral institutions, adhere to true multilateralism, and promote cooperation on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and climate change response, so as to jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of small and medium-sized countries.

After the meeting, the two sides attended the signing ceremony of cooperation documents on Blue Economy, tariff preferences, health and anti-pandemic, civil aviation, and disaster prevention and mitigation.

On the same day, Wang Yi met with Acting Governor General of Solomon Islands John Patteson Oti. Wang Yi also held talks with Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele and they met the press together.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/202205/t20220527_10693326.html

#16349907 at 2022-05-27 11:10:21 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

>>16343917
China eyes next Pacific target, says opposition 'doomed to fail'

Eryk Bagshaw and Anthony Galloway - May 27, 2022

1/2

Singapore: China says attempts by the United States and Australia to sabotage its security plans for the Pacific are doomed to fail, as Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi arrived in Kiribati to forge ahead with plans for Chinese-built infrastructure in the island nation.

As China and Australia go head-to-head in a diplomatic blitz of the Pacific,Wang accused the US and Australia of treating the region as their "backyard" and said China would help strengthen security cooperation in the region. The comments, after a meeting with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele, followed interventions by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the US State Department on Thursday.

"Any smears and attacks on China-Solomon Islands normal security cooperation will be a dead end and any interference and sabotage will be doomed to failure," Wang said in Honiara.

US officials continue to hold concerns about China's plans for a two-kilometre runway on the tiny Kiribati island of Kanton halfway between the US and Asia. China's Foreign Ministry says it has proposed upgrading and improving the airstrip - an ageing stop off on long-haul tourism flights across the Pacific. The Kiribati government maintains China has only provided funding for a feasibility study and any runway will be strictly for civilians. Kiribati's foreign affairs secretary Michael Foon last week denied the country was in "discussions on a security agreement with any partner" after warnings from the US about a broader deal with China.

Kiribati has control over 3.5 million square kilometres of the Pacific and one of the world's largest protected fishing areas. Like the Solomons, Kiribati switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2019. Taiwan claims Beijing made promises to Kiribati of planes, ferries and economic investment.

The details of Wang's visit have been closely guarded but the Kiribati government made an exception to its strict COVID-19 border policy for the 20-strong Chinese entourage to arrive on Friday. All officials who meet with Wang during his four-hour visit will have to go into quarantine for a week.

Kiribati opposition leader Tessie Lambourne said on Wednesday she was "gravely concerned" about a security deal between Kiribati and Beijing that would give China access to Kanton Island and its marine zones.

"Our rich marine territory in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) will be under China's control for sure," she told 1News in New Zealand.

(continued)

#16343921 at 2022-05-26 11:03:53 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

>>16343917

2/2

Draft communique shows China seeks deals with 10 Pacific countries

Solomon Islands has rolled out the red carpet for Mr Wang, who was greeted by Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele when he landed in Honiara in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Mr Wang met Mr Manele and Solomon Islands Governor General Sir David Vunagi. He was also expected to meet with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare a month after it was revealed the two countries signed a security pact.

Australia, the United States, Japan and New Zealand have raised concerns about the deal, which they say could give China a military foothold in the Pacific.

A leaked draft communique shows that China will seek an agreement with 10 Pacific Island countries covering policing, security, trade, marine and data communication.

In Honiara, Mr Wang said China hoped relations with the Solomon Islands could be a model for other Pacific Island countries.

Mr Wang said Solomon Islands gained a "sincere and reliable partner" when it established diplomatic relations with China, according to a statement on the foreign ministry website. Solomon Islands switched ties from Taiwan to China in 2019.

China hopes relations with Solomons could be model for others

"Wang Yi said that China will, as always, firmly support Solomon Islands to maintain national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, safeguard domestic unity and accelerate the country's development and revitalisation, and will continue to provide all the assistance it can," the statement said.

The two sides agreed to "work on landmark projects that belong to the 'Belt and Road Initiative' together ... and help [Solomon Islands] fully tap its resource advantages and development potential."

The Solomon Islands government said in a statement Mr Wang would sign a number of cooperation agreements between the two countries in a two-day visit. The Chinese delegation of 44 includes vice ministers in foreign affairs, commerce, environment, and information officials.

Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation reported that Mr Sogavare welcomed the high level visit from China, one of the Pacific nation's key development partners.

"We will always stand true to our policy of friends to all and enemies to none," he said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference in Washington DC the Pacific is New Zealand's home and any security challenges should be addressed by Pacific nations.

"I see [the communique] as China's trying to increase its engagement with sovereign nations, but expanding into a space that - actually the need around security arrangements - we are able to meet within our region," she said.

Dame Meg Taylor, former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum, was asked about the prospect of naval bases built on Manus Island in her home country of Papua New Guinea.

"For me, it's very, very important that part Papua New Guinea as a sovereign state is the one that calls the shots and not anybody else," she told RN Drive.

"It doesn't matter how small we are, it's very important that our countries in the region are the ones that make those decisions."

Honiara press to boycott press conference

Few details are known about the details of Mr Wang's trip and that could be compounded by a planned media boycott of a press conference to be held by the Chinese official and his Solomon Islands counterpart, Jeremiah Manele, after media learned of restrictions.

"According to the program, the press will be given the opportunity to ask only two questions," Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) President Georgina Kekea said in a statement.

"One from a Solomon Islands journalists directed to the Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister, and one from Chinese media, directed to their Foreign Affairs Minister," she said.

"How ridiculous is that?"

She said journalists should be able to ask questions on behalf of the people.

"What is the whole purpose of hosting such an event for the press when they are only allowed one question and directed to their Foreign Minister only?"

She said the boycott was not intended to disrespect the government but to showcase the media's disagreement with the restrictions.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-26/penny-wong-visits-fiji-as-wang-yi-touches-down-in-solomons/101101216

https://twitter.com/FijiPM/status/1529633665147318272

https://twitter.com/henrytpuna/status/1529701342776016896

#16343609 at 2022-05-26 08:37:08 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #23: HOUSE OF CARDS Edition

#22 - Part 23
Australia / China Tensions - Part 4
>>16213336 Video: Solomon Islands prime minister criticises Australia - Sky News Australia
>>16213361 Morrison says Australia still Solomon Islands' first option despite 'secret' security deal with China
>>16213375 How does Australia deal with an erratic rogue like Manasseh Sogavare? - Cameron Stewart - theaustralian.com.au
>>16213387 Defence Minister Peter Dutton defends Australia's efforts in the Pacific, saying China's growing influence is "phenomenal"
>>16220267 Manasseh Sogavare 'to install China force' in Solomons: Solomon Islands opposition MP Peter Kenilorea Jnr
>>16220298 Video: Australia trusts Solomon Islands on Chinese military base, Defence Minister Peter Dutton says
>>16220310 Solomons' PM exposes US double standards, Beijing says - Zhao Jia - chinadaily.com.cn
>>16220317 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on May 5, 2022
>>16227961 Marise Payne meets with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele for first time since Pacific nation signed security pact with China
>>16227974 Labor questions why it wasn't invited to meet with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister

>>16239791 China fishing deal reels in Solomon Islands - China is vowing to build wharves, shipyards and submarine cables in the Solomon Islands as Beijing moves to lock in closer security and economic ties, raising concerns the developments could be used by the Chinese military
>>16239809 Australian officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) raise 'serious concerns' with China about Solomon Islands deal
>>16246693 Election 2022: 'Rogue PM Manasseh Sogavare holding Solomons back', says Alexander Downer
>>16246703 Chinese and Russian militaries banned from attending Indo-Pacific 2022 International Maritime Exposition, a major military trade show in Sydney, amid heightened concerns about security agreement between China and Solomon Islands
>>16246832 More Chinese officials 'willing to talk' as Beijing crushes dissent, Australian Secret Intelligence Agency director-general Paul Symon says
>>16246841 ASIS chief Paul Symon hints Chinese officials are passing information to Australia
>>16252727 Video: Australian Secret Intelligence Service director-general Paul Symon says Chinese officials are feeding information to Australian intelligence agencies because they're unhappy with the Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian trajectory - Sky News Australia
>>16252740 Video: Foreign espionage: An Australian perspective - ASIS Director-General Paul Symon addressed the Lowy Institute on the past, present and future of foreign espionage from an Australian perspective - Lowy Institute
>>16252749 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to travel to Solomon Islands to sign security pact
>>16252753 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Solomon Islands, wider Pacific visit likely

#16343546 at 2022-05-26 08:13:28 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

#22 - Part 23
Australia / China Tensions - Part 4
>>16213336 Video: Solomon Islands prime minister criticises Australia - Sky News Australia
>>16213361 Morrison says Australia still Solomon Islands' first option despite 'secret' security deal with China
>>16213375 How does Australia deal with an erratic rogue like Manasseh Sogavare? - Cameron Stewart - theaustralian.com.au
>>16213387 Defence Minister Peter Dutton defends Australia's efforts in the Pacific, saying China's growing influence is "phenomenal"
>>16220267 Manasseh Sogavare 'to install China force' in Solomons: Solomon Islands opposition MP Peter Kenilorea Jnr
>>16220298 Video: Australia trusts Solomon Islands on Chinese military base, Defence Minister Peter Dutton says
>>16220310 Solomons' PM exposes US double standards, Beijing says - Zhao Jia - chinadaily.com.cn
>>16220317 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on May 5, 2022
>>16227961 Marise Payne meets with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele for first time since Pacific nation signed security pact with China
>>16227974 Labor questions why it wasn't invited to meet with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister

>>16239791 China fishing deal reels in Solomon Islands - China is vowing to build wharves, shipyards and submarine cables in the Solomon Islands as Beijing moves to lock in closer security and economic ties, raising concerns the developments could be used by the Chinese military
>>16239809 Australian officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) raise 'serious concerns' with China about Solomon Islands deal
>>16246693 Election 2022: 'Rogue PM Manasseh Sogavare holding Solomons back', says Alexander Downer
>>16246703 Chinese and Russian militaries banned from attending Indo-Pacific 2022 International Maritime Exposition, a major military trade show in Sydney, amid heightened concerns about security agreement between China and Solomon Islands
>>16246832 More Chinese officials 'willing to talk' as Beijing crushes dissent, Australian Secret Intelligence Agency director-general Paul Symon says
>>16246841 ASIS chief Paul Symon hints Chinese officials are passing information to Australia
>>16252727 Video: Australian Secret Intelligence Service director-general Paul Symon says Chinese officials are feeding information to Australian intelligence agencies because they're unhappy with the Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian trajectory - Sky News Australia
>>16252740 Video: Foreign espionage: An Australian perspective - ASIS Director-General Paul Symon addressed the Lowy Institute on the past, present and future of foreign espionage from an Australian perspective - Lowy Institute
>>16252749 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to travel to Solomon Islands to sign security pact
>>16252753 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Solomon Islands, wider Pacific visit likely

#16337837 at 2022-05-25 10:24:54 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16104792
>>16337807
China launches diplomatic activities to boost ties with South Pacific islands; 'US, Australian containment strategy doomed to fail'

Yang Sheng and Liu Caiyu - May 24, 2022

1/3

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is to start his trip to the South Pacific region and East Timor, with the first stop to the Solomon Islands, it was officially announced on Tuesday.

China is expected to strengthen its cooperation in the fields of security and economy with relevant countries, analysts said. This move proves China's peaceful and constructive presence in the region has been widely welcomed despite the containment campaign launched by the US and Australia.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on Tuesday that from May 26 to June 4, Wang will visit the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor, and will pay an "online visit" to Micronesia and meet leaders of the Cook Islands and Niue via video links. Wang will chair the Second China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting while in Fiji.

The relations between China and the South Pacific countries are based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and most importantly, China respects the sovereignty of the relevant countries and is able to help them improve their infrastructure and law-enforcement capabilities to safeguard stability. In contrast, the US and Australia show no respect to these small island countries and only intend to use hard power to control them just like the colonialists, and this is the key reason why they are not popular among the South Pacific countries while China is being welcomed, experts said on Tuesday.

Wang's trip to the South Pacific region comes after a series of recent US diplomatic activities in Asia, including a special summit with ASEAN leaders and US president's visits to South Korea and Japan, that intended to strengthen containment against China. Analysts said although China-South Pacific countries cooperation targets no third party, Wang's visit will bring a strong and clear response to US' containment strategy.

The US is trying to contain China with its "Indo-Pacific Strategy," but now China's footprints are ubiquitous in the region outside the second island chain, and this proves the US' containment strategy is not working. Washington and Canberra's attempt to form a regional alliance to target China is doomed to fail, analysts noted.

Welcome China

According to the statement on the official website of the Solomon Islands government, the government of the South Pacific country and the Chinese Ambassador to the country confirmed Wang's visit on Monday, with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare describing Wang's visit as a "milestone."

Wang and a delegation of 20 Chinese officials are expected to arrive mid-week and spend a day in Honiara, the capital of the country, attending meetings and making a courtesy call on Sogavare. Wang will also hold a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele, according to the statement.

The highlight of Wang's visit to the Solomon Islands is the signing of a number of key bilateral agreements with the country's government, Chinese Ambassador to the Solomon Islands Li Ming was quoted as saying in the statement.

Chen Hong, president of the Chinese Association of Australian Studies and director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Tuesday, "Wang's visit is part of China's initiative of economic and social cooperation with the Pacific island nations, with the aim to promote stability and prosperity in the region. The cornerstones to this cooperation are respect and trust. It has proved to be mutually beneficial, with no strings attached, targeting at no third party."

(continued)

#16337809 at 2022-05-25 10:09:43 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16337807

2/2

While in Fiji, Mr Wang will host, for the second time, a meeting of the region's foreign ministers.

He will also undertake a "virtual visit" to the Federated States of Micronesia, and hold video conferences with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Cook Islands, and Premier and Foreign Minister of Niue.

Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Mr Albanese will prioritise trips to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. But with PNG due to hold general elections from July 2-22, there could be delays getting into Port Moresby.

Mr Biden, flanked by Mr Campbell, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, were understood to have discussed with Mr Albanese and Senator Wong rising geostrategic competition in the South Pacific after Solomon Islands signed a security agreement with China last month.

The Australian understands Mr Biden's senior advisers were "very positive" about working with the Albanese government to expand the reach of the Quad and allies in the Pacific.

Lowy Institute China expert Richard McGregor said he believed the upcoming Wang trip was the biggest ever undertaken by a senior Chinese figure.

"Senior Chinese leaders including Xi Jinping have visited Pacific nations before but there has never been, as far as I know, a high-profile minister making a trip of this dimension and length," he told The Australian.

"When you consider the extent of China's global interests and the relatively small size of the Pacific countries, that tells you immediately that Beijing has ambitious long-term plans in the region."

He said the agreements signed during the trip "will provide a valuable road map of Beijing's priorities, and to a degree, what the countries themselves are willing to sign onto".

The trip, which runs until June 4, is "beneficial to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region", Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.

Wang Wenbin said China attached "great importance to developing friendly relations with Pacific island nations" and called the countries "good friends and partners that have equality, mutual benefits and common development".

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said the Chinese foreign minister's one-day visit, with a 20-strong delegation, would be a "milestone" in the two countries' relationship.

The Chinese minister will spend one day in Honiara and hold a joint news conference with foreign minister Jeremiah Manele.

Mr Sogavare said he looked forward to a "productive engagement" with Beijing, "an important development partner at a very critical time in our history".

Labor has pledged to increase Australia's 2030 emission reduction target to 43 per cent compared with 2005 levels but has refused to ban new coal and gas mines, or curb fossil fuel exports, as Pacific leaders have called for.

Senator Wong spoke directly to Pacific leaders in a video message just hours after being sworn into her new role, declaring Australia "knows that nothing is more central to the security and wellbeing of the Pacific than climate change".

"We have heard the Pacific and we will act - standing shoulder to shoulder with the Pacific as we address the climate crisis."

She and Mr Albanese will also present Labor's new Pacific policies to regional leaders at next month's PIF meeting, including a $525m aid boost over four years, new rules to allow more Pacific workers into Australia, and a lottery-style plan to permanently settle up to 3000 Pacific people in Australia each year.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chinese-foreign-minister-wang-yi-to-visit-eight-pacific-countries-in-major-test-for-anthony-albanese/news-story/f8860aa4340f69a557567fe24352650f

https://twitter.com/SenatorWong/status/1528626161408159745

#16331861 at 2022-05-24 09:34:22 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16104792
Solomon Islands Government Statement

PM updated on PRC Foreign Minister's visit.

May 23, 2022

Ground preparations for the visit of the Chinese Foreign Minister and state councillor Wang Yi later this week is ahead of schedule.

Ambassador of the People's Republic China (PRC) to Solomon Islands His Excellency Mr. Li Ming today updated Prime Minister Hon. Manasseh Sogavare.

Ambassador Li Ming said Mr Wang and his almost 20 member delegation will spend a day in Honiara, attending various high level meetings, courtesy calls on the Prime Minister and acting Governor General and hosting a press conference alongside his counterpart, Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele.

The highlight of the visit is the signing of a number of key bilateral Agreements with the national government, stated Ambassador Li Ming.

Prime Minister Hon. Manasseh Sogavare appreciated the update saying, the visit by Chinese Foreign Minister and state councillor Wang Yi will be a milestone in the SI-PRC relationship.

The Prime Minister said, his government welcomes the PRC high-level visit- one of Solomon Islands key development partners.

"We will always stand true to our policy of Friends to All and Enemies to None."

Prime Minister Sogavare looks forward to a productive engagement with PRC as an important development partner at a very critical time in our history.

https://www.solomonstarnews.com/pm-updated-on-prc-foreign-ministers-visit/

#16252753 at 2022-05-11 09:17:22 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16104792
>>16252749
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Solomon Islands, wider Pacific visit likely

Stephen Dziedzic - 10 May 2022

Chinese Foreign Minister and state councillor Wang Yi is likely to make a surprise visit to Solomon Islands in coming weeks, in another sign Beijing is intent on cementing security and commercial ties with the Pacific island nation while Canberra is consumed by the federal election.

A senior Solomon Islands government source told the ABC that preparations had begun for Mr Wang to visit the capital Honiara.

The visit is not expected to happen this week but is likely to occur later in May, potentially before the federal election next weekend.

Australian officials and ministers are monitoring the planned visit very closely.

One federal government source told the ABC they believed it was likely Mr Wang would travel to Honiara as part of a broader visit to a number of Pacific island countries, but added that some of the plans may still be in flux.

Still, the prospect of Mr Wang making a high-level visit to Honiara ahead of the election on May 21 has stirred anxiety in the Coalition, with fears the visit could once again catapult the China-Solomon Islands security pact back into the headlines, and allow Labor to attack its national security credentials just before the election.

One government source told the ABC Mr Wang would lead a large Chinese delegation and the two countries would likely sign a host of new agreements during the trip.

It is also possible the minister will formally sign the deeply contentious security pact that has already been agreed to by both Solomon Islands and China.

The news of his visit comes in the wake of a regional meeting on the China-Solomon Islands agreement, which was held at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Fiji's capital Suva on Tuesday.

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele and Police Minister Veke briefed several senior officials and a small number of politicians from Pacific Island countries about the agreement in an effort to calm regional anxieties about its implications.

Planned trip doesn't 'come as a surprise', Dutton says

The ABC has been told that a number of Pacific Island countries raised concerns about the security agreement, and that many indicated it should be discussed by Pacific leaders when they meet at the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva next month.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton told Sky News the mooted trip did not "come as a surprise to anyone" and suggested it was part of a pattern of aggressive behaviour by China.

"It's obviously provocative, particularly during the course of an election campaign, that China has made that decision," he said.

"And I think we, again, need to be eyes wide open about what is happening [with China] in our region, and not just in our region."

Graeme Smith from the Australian National University said if the trip went ahead then China might use it to announce fresh investments in mining or tuna processing in Solomon Islands.

"With a delegation of this nature, especially at a time of heightened geopolitical rhetoric, the interesting question is what gifts are going to be on offer, other than grant aid related to the South Pacific Games," he said.

He also said the visit might also provoke protests in Solomon Islands, with unpredictable results.

The China security pact has been fiercely criticised by the Solomon Islands' opposition and civil society groups, and protesters - including many from the pro-Taiwan province of Malaita -flooded Honiara in November last year.

"The pot is being stirred on the PRC [People's Republic of China] side, but a fascinating hypothetical is: what if protests greet Wang Yi's visit?" Mr Smith said.

"What if the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force can't guarantee his security? Who steps up?"

The Chinese embassy in Canberra has been contacted for comment.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-10/china-foreign-minister-to-visit-honiara/101054672

#16239809 at 2022-05-09 08:58:27 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16104792
>>16227961
Australian officials raise 'serious concerns' with China about Solomon Islands deal

Stephen Dziedzic - 9 May 2022

Australian officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) have used rare talks with their Chinese counterparts to raise "serious concerns" about Beijing's new security pact with Solomon Islands and to stress the depth of Australia's connections with the Pacific.

Mid-ranking public servants from both countries held the virtual talks on the Pacific last Friday.

The ABC was told that the Department's most senior diplomats - including the Head of the Office of the Pacific, Ewen McDonald - did not participate.

The Department's account of the discussion was heavily focused on China's contentious agreement with Solomon Islands.

A host of senior Australian politicians have warned the pact could destabilise the region, while Australian security agencies fear it could open the door to a Chinese military presence in the Pacific Island nation down the track.

In a statement the Department said the officials "raised directly with their Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs counterparts Australia's serious concerns about the Solomon Islands-China security agreement, the lack of transparency and its implications for continuing regional security and stability".

The statement also said that Australian officials "emphasised that Australia is a Pacific nation with deep, long-standing connections with our Pacific family across all arms of government and right across our society".

However, multiple Australian government sources emphasised that the talks had been in the works for several months, and were not triggered by news of the security pact.

The Department first proposed reviving the diplomatic dialogue after senior Chinese diplomat Wang Xining wrote an opinion piece late last year declaring that Beijing wanted to help Australia restore order in Solomon Islands in the wake of devastating riots.

Australian officials viewed that offer with deep scepticism.

Analysts said at the time that Australia likely proposed resuming talks on the Pacific because it would allow the government to effectively call Beijing's bluff if it declined to participate.

Still, sources told the ABC that landing a formal exchange with even mid-ranking Chinese officials had been a time-consuming process, and that the discussion had not led to any real breakthroughs.

In its statement the Department said its officials "reinforced Australia's abiding commitment to the security architecture of our region, including the Boe Declaration and Biketawa Declaration and the Treaty of Rarotonga".

The Department also said they emphasised that "the Pacific family remains best placed to meet the security needs of Pacific island countries comprehensively" - repeating one of the main lines the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister have used to undermine the China-Solomon Islands pact.

The Department added that both countries "exchanged views" on a host of other regional issues including "climate change adaptation and resilience, COVID-19 response and recovery, fisheries and maritime issues, and infrastructure development across the region".

The meeting was held on the same day that Foreign Minister Marise Payne met her Solomon Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele for the first time since the Pacific Island country signed the contentious pact with China.

Senator Payne said that Mr Manele used that meeting in Brisbane to reaffirm that Solomon Islands would not permit China to establish a military base, and to again state that Australia remains his country's primary security partner.

The Solomon Islands Foreign Minister is now in Fiji for talks with senior officials as he begins a tour aimed at calming regional anxieties about the agreement with China.

But the Solomon Islands Opposition has slammed the government's tactics, saying it should have consulted other Pacific nations about the pact before signing it, rather than after.

The flurry of talks comes against the backdrop of increasing hostility between Australia and the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare, who last week lashed out once against at the West, accusing it of deliberately undermining his government and plotting an invasion.

The ABC has asked the Chinese Embassy if it has any comment on the talks, but has not yet received a response.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-09/china-solomon-islands-security-pact-dfat-serious-concerns-talks/101048390

#16239794 at 2022-05-09 08:53:11 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16239791

2/2

Foreign Minister Marise Payne met with her Solomon ?Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele in Brisbane on Friday night, in the first high-level meeting between the countries since news of the China security deal broke. According to a spokesman, she "reiterated our deep concerns about the security agreement with China, including the lack of transparency".

The spokesman said the pair "agreed that Australia remains Solomon Islands' security partner of choice", and Senator Payne "welcomed Prime Minister ?Sogavare's assurance that Solomon Islands will not be used for a foreign military base".

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese welcomed the meeting, declaring "it's about time". But he said Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong should have been included, given the government was in caretaker mode.

Australia's relationship with the Solomon Islands has hit rock bottom amid the fallout from the country's security agreement with China, which officials fear could open the way for a Chinese military base less than 2000km from Cairns. Mr Morrison declared such a development would be a "red line" for Australia, while the US vowed to "respond ?accordingly" if China established "power ?projection" capabilities in the country.

The warnings infuriated Mr Sogavare, who claimed in an extraordinary speech to parliament last week that his country was being treated like "kindergarten students walking around with Colt .45s in our hands".

"We deplore the continual demonstration of lack of trust by the concerned parties, and tacit warning of military intervention in Solomon Islands if their national interest is undermined in Solomon Islands," Mr Sogavare said.

"In other words, we are threatened with invasion."

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/china-fishing-deal-reels-in-solomon-islands/news-story/24d084cb20a0f42de04d2443cf47f684

https://origin.go.theaustralian.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/DocScan_05_06_2022.pdf

#16227974 at 2022-05-07 10:06:41 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16104792
>>16227961
Labor questions why it wasn't invited to meet with Solomons minister

Anthony Galloway - May 7, 2022

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has questioned why the opposition wasn't invited to a meeting with Foreign Minister Marise Payne and her Solomon Islands counterpart, after a controversial security deal was signed between the Pacific island nation and China.

Payne met with Solomons Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele in Brisbane on Friday night, after facing almost three weeks of criticism for not doing more to stop the deal being signed.

Albanese on Saturday questioned why Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong wasn't invited to the meeting considering the government is in caretaker mode. Multiple sources confirmed that the opposition was briefed minutes before the meeting took place, but Wong was not invited to attend.

The deal between Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's government and Beijing could see Chinese naval vessels and troops based less than 2000 kilometres off the Australian east coast and cut off vital supply lines to the US and Asia, in the event of a conflict.

Australia fears the deal could pave the way for a permanent Chinese military presence in the Solomons and Prime Minister Scott Morrison has criticised the Chinese government for insisting the text of the agreement be kept secret.

A spokesperson for Payne said in Friday night's meeting she reiterated that Australia had been "consistent and clear in stating our respect for Solomon Islands' sovereign decision-making".

But Payne also "reiterated our deep concerns about the security agreement with China, including the lack of transparency".

"They agreed that Australia remains Solomon Islands' security partner of choice," the spokesperson said.

"She again welcomed Prime Minister Sogavare's assurance that Solomon Islands will not be used for a foreign military base."

Campaigning in Tasmania, Albanese said it was "good" that Payne had met with her counterpart but that it would have been appropriate for Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman, Penny Wong, to be invited a long as well, considering the government is in caretaker mode.

"It's about time," Albanese said.

"I don't know the circumstances of whether Marise Payne invited the shadow foreign minister, given we're in caretaker mode. That would have been the appropriate course of action."

The meeting between the two foreign ministers comes after Morrison received advice from security and intelligence officials to stop talking to Sogavare. Sources confirmed that advice did not extend to Payne and Manele, given the concern is largely around Sogavare.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed this week that there was concern within intelligence and diplomatic circles that Morrison risked further inflaming the situation by having another phone conversation with Sogavare.

This was due to Sogavare's history of negative attitudes towards Australia and the assessment that no intervention was going to persuade him not to sign the deal with Beijing.

There have also been concerns within the Australian government over Sogavare misrepresenting conversations with government officials.

Morrison said on Saturday there was never an issue with Payne talking with her counterpart, but the decision was taken before the deal was signed not to send Payne to the Solomon Islands.

"It was not our plan for her to visit the Solomon Islands, that's what was being suggested to me and that's not what has occurred," he said.

"There was the opportunity for a meeting to take place here, and that was a sensible opportunity to take up and I'm pleased that it was.

"And that meeting proved to be a very positive meeting, one that reinforced, again, Australia's role as the primary security partner, and also reassured once again that Solomon Islands are not considering, and would not support the establishment of a naval presence for the Chinese government in in in the Solomon Islands."

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/labor-questions-why-it-wasn-t-invited-to-meet-with-solomons-minister-20220507-p5ajdu.html

#16227961 at 2022-05-07 10:02:29 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16104792
Marise Payne meets with Solomon Islands for first time since Pacific nation signed security pact with China

Annika Burgess - 7 May 2022

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has met with her Solomon Islands counterpart for the first time since the Pacific nation signed a controversial security pact with China.

Senator Payne reiterated assurances from Solomon Islands that the country would not be used for a foreign military base after the meeting with Jeremiah Manele in Brisbane overnight.

Both Senator Payne and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have been criticised for having little contact with Solomon Islands officials since it signed the security deal with Beijing last month.

Beijing has said the deal would involve China cooperating with Honiara on maintaining social order, combating natural disasters and safeguarding national security.

Friday night's exchange was the first high-level ministerial meeting between Canberra and Honiara since news of the security pact was leaked in March.

Australia, along with the US and New Zealand, have voiced concerns over the deal, amid fears the pact could open the door to a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific - speculation Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has dismissed.

"Australia has been consistent and clear in stating our respect for Solomon Islands' sovereign decision-making," Senator Payne said in a statement.

"However, we have reiterated our deep concerns about the security agreement with China, including the lack of transparency," she said.

"I again welcomed Prime Minister Sogavare's assurance that Solomon Islands will not be used for a foreign military base."

Trade Minister Dan Tehan told Weekend Breakfast the meeting had been "very productive", saying the ministers agreed Australia remained Solomon Islands' security partner of choice.

"I think what we need to do is make sure we just focus on what is very important for the Solomon Islands - ultimately their sovereignty - but that Australia remains the security partner of choice," he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison echoed those comments, saying he was pleased Senator Payne had been able to take up the "sensible" opportunity to meet with her counterpart in Brisbane.

"That meeting proved to be a very positive meeting, one that reinforced again Australia's role as the primary security partner, and also reassured once again that the Solomon Islands are not considering, and would not support, the establishment of a naval presence for the Chinese government in the Solomon Islands," Mr Morrison said.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said "it's about time" the meeting took place, but he would have expected that Shadow Foreign Minister Penny Wong had a seat at the table.

"I would have thought it would have been appropriate," he said.

"I don't know the circumstances of whether Marise Payne invited the Shadow Foreign Minister.

Given we're in caretaker mode, that would have been the appropriate course of action. I'm not aware of whether that happened or not."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-07/marise-payne-discusses-china-deal-solomon-islands-minister/101046744

#16128490 at 2022-04-22 14:16:36 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16128484

2/2

The fallout from the Solomon Islands-China security pact continued to reverberate through the Australian election campaign on Friday, with Labor's campaign spokesman Jason Clare accusing the government of an "epic fail".

Mr Clare suggested Mr Morrison could have averted the deal by "picking up the phone, talking to people".

The Prime Minister ridiculed the suggestion as "simplistic", saying he'd had more than 100 ?engagements with Pacific islands leaders during his time in the job.

"I mean, if it was just as easy as picking up the phone or sending a foreign minister, then these issues wouldn't occur - it's not that easy," Mr Morrison said.

"This is a highly complex situation. Our partners understand that, our partners trust us, and we work closely with them. But we can't kid ourselves. There is enormous pressure and influence, which is placed on Pacific island leaders across the region, which the Chinese government have been engaged in for some time."

Mr Morrison also attacked Labor's deputy leader, Richard Marles, over past comments in which he acknowledged Chinese development support for the ?Pacific had "been a good thing", and it was "silly" to expect Pacific nations not to engage with China.

Mr Marles wrote last year: "Australia has no right to expect a set of exclusive relationships with the Pacific nations. They are ?perfectly free to engage on ?whatever terms they choose with China or, for that matter, any other country."

Mr Morrison said: "It doesn't get more blunt than that. I find it outrageous that Labor would criticise us when their own deputy leader was actually advocating what the Chinese government has been seeking to do in our region."

Mr Marles told the ABC he didn't resile from his comments.

"Pacific nations have their own choices that they can make," he said. "It is precisely because of that that we need to be making sure that we earn the right to be the natural partner of choice for ?countries in the Pacific. Now, when we were in government, that's what we did. This government has not been present in terms of building its relationships with Pacific countries."

The opposition has pointed to foreign aid funding statistics showing average annual support for Solomon Islands was, on average, 28 per cent higher each year under Labor than under the ?Coalition. But, at the same time, overall funding to the Pacific has risen under the Coalition to $1.95bn, compared with $1.5bn under Labor in 2013.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US was closely monitoring the fallout from the agreement and remained committed to its partnership with Solomon Islands.

"The signing of the agreement does not change our concerns and that of our regional partners and allies," Mr Price said.

He said the Campbell-led ?delegation would demonstrate "how a partnership with the United States can deliver prosperity, peace, security, and highlighting the strength and strengthening bonds between America and the Solomon Islands".

China revealed this week that the security agreement had been signed by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and his Solomon Islands counterpart, Jeremiah Manele.

The final text remains secret but an earlier leaked version said it would allow China to "make ship visits, carry out logistical replenishment in and have stopover and transition in the Solomon Islands".

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/manasseh-sogavare-says-solomon-islands-china-ties-put-it-on-the-right-side-of-history/news-story/56aeedac414a70fd5d598ba051002443

#16111196 at 2022-04-20 09:09:42 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16065990
>>16104792
Morrison defends Payne's absence from Solomons as 'strategic decision'

Eryk Bagshaw - April 20, 2022

Foreign Minister Marise Payne was at a private business dinner in Sydney on the night Pacific Minister Zed Seselja was sent to the Solomon Islands in a failed attempt to stop a landmark security deal with Beijing from being signed.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was a strategic decision to dispatch the junior minister to the Pacific Island nation despite a draft agreement revealing plans that could give the Chinese navy access to a base less than 2000 kilometres off the Australian coast.

"The judgement was made not to engage at a Foreign Minister level … to ensure that Australia's views were communicated very clearly and very respectfully," Morrison said on Wednesday.

"One of the things you have got to be very, very cognisant of is there is a long history of, frankly, countries like Australia and even New Zealand and others coming around and treating Pacific Islands like they should be doing what the big countries should tell them to do."

The deal puts national and regional security at the centre of the Australian federal election campaign. Labor leader Anthony Albanese on Wednesday said it was "one of the greatest policy failures that we've seen from this government". Payne said she was "deeply disappointed" the deal had been signed.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have confirmed that Payne was at a private business dinner at PwC Barangaroo on April 12, the night Seselja flew to Honiara. The dinner was not a fundraiser but was attended by business people who donate to the Liberal Party. Payne had earlier that day spoken with US lawmakers Bob Menendez and Lindsey Graham as part of a lobbying push to get the US to take a stronger stance against the Solomons deal.

On Tuesday night, when China's Foreign Ministry announced the deal had been signed, Payne was attending a Liberal Women's networking forum in South Australia after earlier campaigning in Boothby. During an election campaign, senior ministers have to manage fundraising, campaigning and governing while the government remains in caretaker mode. The Morrison government says it has had more than 100 exchanges with Solomons ministers and Pacific Islands' forum members since the draft agreement was leaked in March, but that lobbying failed to sway the Solomons government.

Albanese said on Wednesday that he would go to Honiara if elected to meet defiant Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to relay Australia's concerns. Former foreign minister Julie Bishop said on Wednesday that Payne should be on her way to Honiara. "I believe our foreign minister should be on the next plane to Solomon Islands," she told Channel 10.

The agreement will give Beijing its first major security stake in the Pacific and give it the power to protect its investments in the region.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the "pact with China was dual purpose, which means that China is able - if they follow this through - to set up a military base there".

"That is a very bad day for Australia," he said. "We don't want our own little Cuba off our coast."

'Our eyes wide open'

Sogavare told parliament in Honiara on Wednesday the deal had been signed to protect critical national infrastructure in the poor and divided country. Chinese armed forces will now be allowed to protect Chinese investments by force if necessary. The deal is the first one of its kind for billions of dollars worth of Chinese investment abroad.

"We entered into an arrangement with China with our eyes wide open guided by our national interest," Sogavare told parliament.

Sogavare said he would dispatch foreign minister Jeremiah Manele to countries in the region to allay their fears about a Chinese naval base in the Pacific.

The Australian government, which was initially blindsided by the details of the draft agreement, said it had made its concerns clear.

"Our consistently stated view, including from the perspective of Australia's national interests, remains that the Pacific family is best placed to meet the security needs of the region," Payne and Seselja said in a joint statement.

Labor attacks 'blunder'

Albanese used his morning's campaign press conference in Brisbane to condemn what he described as Australian government inaction.

"This deal between China and the Solomons was foreshadowed last August, the government was warned. Yet, only in recent days did the government bother to send a junior person across to the Solomons," he said.

Albanese confirmed he would visit the Solomons if elected. Morrison's first trip abroad as Prime Minister was to Honiara in 2019. "The problem is those relationships aren't ones that can be done just during when there's a crisis," he said.

(continued)

#16111180 at 2022-04-20 08:55:37 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16047451
>>16104792
US' high-level visit to Solomon Islands aims to nullify China security pact, uses region as hegemonic fulcrum

Xu Keyue, Shan Jie and Bai Yunyi - Apr 19, 2022

1/2

After Australia failed to sway the Solomon Islands to thwart the security agreement with China, senior US officials plan to travel to the country this week in an attempt to nullify the already signed security pact, which will be a rare high-level visit with pressure by the superpower.

White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell and the State Department's top official for Asia will travel to the Solomon Islands, the White House said on Monday, amid "concerns" that the Pacific island country is making a security pact with China, according to Reuters.

Observers pointed out that the "concerns" expressed by the US and Australia over the security pact showed that they use the South Pacific region as an "arena" for competition with China and try to contain China's peaceful development. They predict that the US and Australia may increase military cooperation and civilian investment in the Solomon Islands and other South Pacific countries to counter China's rising influence, but history shows that US promises are often hard to deliver and such cooperation rarely delivers real benefits to ordinary people.

Campbell's visit comes after Washington has warned the Solomon Islands several times over the security pact with China, and Australia made several threats under the name of "concern" and sent senior officials to the island nations.

Yang Honglian, senior researcher of the Pacific Islands Research Center at the Liaocheng University, based in Fiji, told the Global Times that in the US' and its follower Australia's Cold War mentality, South Pacific countries have always been, and must be, their "backyard."

They believe that controlling the island nations through military deployment can maintain their influence in the region, so they speculated China would also take the same step even if China does not have any military activity in the region. They have been hyping a "possibility" and "sense of urgency," trying to guide the local sentiment to be more wary of China, Yang said.

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele officially signed a framework agreement on security cooperation between the two countries, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday.

"The US Embassy in Solomon Islands has been closed for 29 years. The most recent visit to Fiji made by a US Secretary of State was 37 years ago. Several senior US officials now fancy a visit to some Pacific Island Countries (PICs) all of a sudden after all these years. Are they doing so out of care for PICs or do they have ulterior motives? " asked Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday.

"Sensationalizing an atmosphere of tension and stoking bloc confrontation will get no support in the region. Attempts to meddle with and obstruct PICs' cooperation with China will be in vain," Wang noted. Rather than becoming someone's backyard or pawn in a geopolitical confrontation, Pacific island countries need diversified external cooperation and the free choice of their cooperation partners, Wang stressed.

(continued)

#16111159 at 2022-04-20 08:37:10 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16047451
>>16104792
Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 19, 2022

Xinhua News Agency: It is reported that China and Solomon Islands have officially signed a framework agreement on bilateral security cooperation. Can you offer more information on that?

Wang Wenbin: As approved by the governments of China and Solomon Islands, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Jeremiah Manele, on behalf of the governments of China and Solomon Islands respectively, officially signed the inter-governmental framework agreement on security cooperation between the two countries the other day. China has shared information on China-Solomon Islands security cooperation on many occasions and I would like to take this opportunity to stress a few points:

First, China-Solomon Islands security cooperation is in nature the normal exchange and cooperation between two sovereign and independent countries and an important part of China-Solomon Islands comprehensive cooperation.

Second, China-Solomon Islands security cooperation follows the principle of equality and mutual benefit, and is based on respecting the will and actual need of Solomon Islands. The two sides will conduct cooperation in such areas as maintenance of social order, protection of the safety of people's lives and property, humanitarian assistance and natural disaster response, in an effort to help Solomon Islands strengthen capacity building in safeguarding its own security.

Third, China-Solomon Islands security cooperation aims at promoting social stability and long-term tranquility in Solomon Islands, which conforms to the common interests of Solomon Islands and the South Pacific region.

Fourth, China-Solomon Islands security cooperation is open, transparent and inclusive, and does not target any third party. It proceeds in parallel and complements Solomon Islands' existing bilateral and multilateral security cooperation mechanisms. China stands ready to work with relevant countries to leverage respective strengths to form international synergy.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202204/t20220419_10669768.html

#16104792 at 2022-04-19 10:06:03 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16047451
>>16104788
China and Solomon Islands sign security pact, Beijing says it is 'not directed at any third party' amid Pacific influence fears

abc.net.au - 19 April 2022

China and Solomon Islands have signed a framework agreement on security cooperation - a deal Australia, New Zealand and the US fear could open the door to a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced the agreement in Beijing, saying it would involve China cooperating with Honiara on maintaining social order, protecting people's safety, aid, combating natural disasters and helping safeguard national security.

Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Jeremiah Manele confirmed the signing of the pact to the ABC in a text message.

He said Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare would make a formal announcement in the coming days.

The announcement comes just days after Australia's Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja travelled to Honiara and met the country's Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in a last-ditch effort to dissuade him from going ahead with the China security deal.

Mr Wang said the cooperation would be transparent and would not target any third party.

"The purpose of China-Solomon security cooperation is to promote social stability and long-term peace and security in Solomon Islands, which is in line with the common interests of Solomon Islands and the South Pacific region," he told a briefing on Tuesday.

"China-Solomon Islands security cooperation is public, transparent, open and inclusive, not directed at any third party, and is parallel to and complementary to the existing bilateral and multilateral security cooperation mechanisms in Solomon Islands.

"China is willing to work with the countries concerned to give full play to their respective advantages and form international synergies."

Earlier on Tuesday, the Solomon Islands parliament was told China would send officials to the Pacific nation next month to sign cooperation agreements.

"The PRC foreign affairs is heading to Honiara in the middle of May to sign multilateral agreements and cooperations with the Solomon Islands government," Douglas Ete, chairman of the public accounts committee, said.

The US said on Monday that a high-level delegation, including White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell, would also travel to Honiara to discuss concerns over China, as well as the reopening of a US embassy.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-19/china-and-solomon-islands-sign-security-pact-says-chinese-foreig/101000530

#16068464 at 2022-04-13 17:45:13 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #22: THIS IS NOT ANOTHER 3-YEAR ELECTION Edition

>>16047451
>>16065990
US warns Solomons on China

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 13, 2022

One of America's top foreign policy makers has warned Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare that China will become his country's "owner and minder" if he pushes ahead with a security agreement with Beijing.

US Senate foreign affairs committee chairman Bob Menendez said it was not in the interests of the US, Australia or the Solomon Islands for a Chinese base to be ?established in the Pacific nation, and Mr Sogavare needed to understand "what it means to all of us if that were the pathway forward".

The warning came as Australia's Minister for the Pacific, Zed Seselja, "respectfully" urged Mr Sogavare during a meeting in ?Honiara to abandon the security deal with Beijing, which Western allies believe will open the way for a Chinese base 2000km off Australia's northeast coast.

Mr Sogavare has vowed to sign the agreement but insisted there will be no Chinese base, branding the suggestion as "insulting".

"My hope is there is a broader, deeper understanding that China at the end of the day will be your owner and minder," Senator Menendez told Sky News.

"That's what their ultimate goal is. And they have shown that in ?Africa and other parts of the world, where it seems they are coming in with good intentions, and then their coercive economic policies, their coercive practices, ultimately put you being owned by China."

Senator Lindsey Graham, in Australia with Senator Menendez as part of a congressional delegation for meetings about the AUKUS ?security agreement, said China's threat and Russia's invasion of Ukraine had done more to unite the Republican and Democratic parties "than anything we could have done ourselves".

He said Australia had paid "a heavy price to stand up to China", and the US appreciated what it had done.

Their comments came ahead of a visit to Solomon Islands by Joe Biden's Indo-Pacific adviser, Kurt Campbell, in coming days, which will pile further pressure on Mr Sogavare to walk away from the pact.

On the election hustings in Geelong, Scott Morrison denied his government had "dropped the ball" in allowing China to strengthen its foothold in the Solomon Islands, or that the US was unhappy with Australia's handling of the matter.

"We have a very close relationship with the United States, and that has not been at their view and I reject that absolutely," the Prime Minister said.

Senator Seselja, who flew to Honiara on an extraordinary visit during the election caretaker period, said Australia was committed to supporting the Solomon Islands to meet its security needs "swiftly, transparently and with full respect for its sovereignty".

"We have asked Solomon ?Islands respectfully to consider not signing the agreement and to consult the Pacific family in the spirit of regional openness and transparency, consistent with our region's security frameworks," Senator Seselja said after his meeting with Mr Sogavare.

"We look forward to ongoing engagement with the Solomon ?Islands government, and with our Pacific family members, on these very important issues."

He said Australia had been a strong partner to the Solomon Islands for many years, supporting its security needs in two missions. Australia had also contributed more than $160m this year in development aid to Solomon Islands.

The head of the US Marine Corps, who is in Australia to meet Australian Defence chiefs and visit the US Marine Rotational Force in Darwin, said the West was failing to prevent creeping Chinese ?influence in the South Pacific.

Marine Corps Commandant David Berger said China's interest in the Solomon Islands was driven by the nation's strategic ?location, and declared the US and Australia needed to highlight "what this means, long term".

"'A lot of things change in warfare," General Berger told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra. "Not geography. Where the Solomon Islands are matters. It did (in WWII), it does now."

He said China was not "picking a fight" but achieving its ?objectives. "We're not successfully deterring it (because of) what some people call grey zone ... We haven't figured out quite how to stop that," he said.

Earlier, Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke to Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele to emphasise America's commitment to the country and the region.

Ms Sherman spoke to Mr Manele about a planned new American embassy in Honiara, and "our joint efforts to broaden and deepen engagement between our countries in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region".

She also put in a call to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Kathryn Campbell, expressing "concern about recent developments in the Indo-Pacific".

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/us-warns-solomons-on-china/news-story/8e485a603cae9778dd1dca9219bfb20b

#15981978 at 2022-03-31 10:22:07 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #21: MIL-CIV ALLIANCE Edition

>>15939896
>>15981958
>>15981967
SOLOMON ISLANDS AND CHINA INITIAL FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON SECURITY COOPERATION

March 31, 2022

Solomon Islands Ministers of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Hon Jeremiah Manele and Minister of Police and National Security and Correctional Services, the Hon Anthony Veke jointly announced that officials of Solomon Islands and the Peoples Republic of China have initialed elements of a bilateral Security Cooperation Framework between the two countries today.

The draft Framework Agreement will be cleaned up and await signatures of the two countries Foreign Ministers.

Solomon Islands reiterate that the Framework of Cooperation is to respond to Solomon Islands soft and hard domestic threats. Solomon Islands continue to roll out the implementation of its National Security Strategy and uphold its Foreign Policy of "Friends to all and enemies to none."

The country will work with all partners in providing a safe and secure nation where all people are able to co-exist peacefully.

Solomon Islands seeks greater security partnership with other partners and neighbours and once again express its deep gratitude and sincere appreciation to Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Fiji for the presence of their Security Personnel in Solomon Islands.

We thank their respective governments and peoples for the service of their professionals whom we welcome and acknowledge with a thankful heart.

https://solomons.gov.sb/solomon-islands-and-china-initial-framework-agreement-on-security-cooperation/

#15981958 at 2022-03-31 10:16:43 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #21: MIL-CIV ALLIANCE Edition

>>15939896
Solomon Islands inks security deal with China, ignoring Australian protests

Eryk Bagshaw - March 31, 2022

Singapore: Solomon Islands has initialled a security deal with Beijing, paving the way for China to take its first major stake in security in the Pacific and testing Australia's century-long influence over the region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele will now formally sign off on the deal after details of the draft agreement were ironed out on Thursday by officials from both sides.

Honiara's Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet said in a statement on Thursday that officials have "initialled elements of a bilateral security cooperation framework" with China. The office said the government would continue to work with all partners "in providing a safe and secure nation where all people are able to co-exist peacefully".

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the agreement was "beyond reproach".

"It is beneficial to social stability and lasting security of Solomon Islands and the common interest of regional countries," he said.

But the imminent signing of the deal is a firm rejection of days of lobbying from Australian and New Zealand to reconsider and a failure of decades of engagement with the Pacific region. China will now be elevated alongside Australia as Honiara's major partner less than three years after Solomon Islands switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China.

The draft agreement will allow Chinese navy ships and defence forces to be based in Solomon Islands to protect billions of dollars in Chinese infrastructure investment in the developing country. The deal followed protests and riots in November in which Chinese buildings in Honiara were attacked.

"Solomon Islands reiterate that the framework of cooperation is to respond to Solomon Islands' soft and hard domestic threats," the Office of Prime Minister and Cabinet said. "Solomon Islands continue to roll out the implementation of its national security strategy and uphold its foreign policy of friends to all and enemies to none."

Lieutenant General Greg Bilton, the Australian Defence Force's Chief of Joint Operations, told reporters in Canberra on Thursday that any stationing of Chinese navy vessels in the Pacific nation would "change the calculus" for Australia's defence forces.

"We would change our patrolling patterns and our maritime awareness activities," he said.

Honiara, the capital, is less than 2000 kilometres from Australia's east coast. Solomon Islands is a key strategic point in the Pacific, providing access to shipping lanes from Australia and New Zealand up through Asia. The presence of Chinese navy ships would drain Australian defence resources and potentially cut off supply lines in the event of a conflict.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Foreign Minister Marise Payne, New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta urged Solomon Islands to remember their contributions to the Pacific in the days before the deal was signed.

But Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare described their warnings about China's intentions in the region as "nonsense" in a speech to Parliament this week, arguing that they had been consumed by "geopolitical and ideological hatred".

"The time has come for nation-states to face the realities about all the nonsense we are made to believe," he said.

China has militarised three islands in the disputed South China Sea and flown hundreds of warplanes toward Taiwan's airspace over the past year.

Sogavare explicitly linked Chinese investment in the nation's infrastructure to the proposed security deal and suggested Beijing would be given the right to protect its investments by force.

"Lack of development, especially in major infrastructure in our provinces continues to plague us. Lack of development leads to security issues," he said. "That affects our national security."

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said China had targeted Australia, Japan and India.

"I mean this all adds up to a course of conduct that China's embarking on," he said on Thursday. "The aggression that we're seeing in the South China Sea, the military presence now in 20 points in the South China Sea, the East China Sea activities against Japan, are all deeply concerning."

Dutton said Australia did not believe it is in the best interests of Honiara to be engaging in an exercise that could lead to a military presence in Solomon Islands.

"Frankly, I think that's the view of many of the neighbours and others within the Indo-Pacific, and we've been very clear about that," he said.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/solomon-islands-inks-security-deal-with-china-ignoring-australian-protests-20220331-p5a9tr.html

#13362854 at 2021-04-05 04:54:37 (UTC+1)
Q Research AUSTRALIA #15 - NEVER RETREAT FROM THE BATTLEFIELD Edition

>>13362840

2/2

Mr Suidani's defiant anti-China stance has reignited the deep-seated ethnic and cultural tensions within the Solomon Islands that gave way to a prolonged period of civil unrest between 1998 and 2003, while his critics in the country's national cabinet have accused him of exploiting the issue to fuel simmering separatist sentiment within Malaita.

The claims have done little to temper his resolve: at the height of the pandemic last June, he issued a provocative public statement praising Taiwan for its support, adding that Malaita was in "a unique and a privileged situation to have been assisted by a country that has stood against the might of the Wuhan virus".

Mr Suidani's comments were immediately denounced by outraged officials in China's embassy in the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, and further condemned by the Solomon Islands Foreign Minister, Jeremiah Manele, who admonished him for referring to Taiwan "as a state rather than a province of the People's Republic of China".

The government was so furious it seized a shipment of medical supplies arriving in Malaita from Taiwan three days later, with ­Attorney-General John Muria Jr saying the cargo represented an "act of defiance of a government decision" and could be considered a breach of the Sedition Act.

The growing friction caused by Mr Suidani's stand-off with the Solomon Islands' central government is being closely monitored by bureaucrats in Canberra.

After 14 years on the ground heading up the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, Australian soldiers wrapped up their peacekeeping role in the Pacific nation in June 2017, but Lowy Institute Pacific program director Jonathan Pryke says there are concerns China's involvement could undo much of the progress made throughout the operation.

"One key driver of the breakdown of law and order which led to the RAMSI intervention was the inter-island rivalries, largely driven by frustrations around uneven distribution of benefits," he says. "While RAMSI helped put the country back together, those tensions are still very present and simmer just under the surface in Solomon Islands - and it is very worrying that the swap from Taiwan to China is now playing into these domestic tensions.

"It would have been easier for Australia if the Solomon Islands maintained its alliance with Taiwan because we are so anxious about the kind of investments China is making and what they're going to use that influence for.

"At the same time, we recognise Solomon Islands is a sovereign nation and can make their own decisions."

For now, neither side is willing to cede ground. For months, Mr Suidani has talked of the possibility of calling a province-wide vote on whether Malaita should secede from the Solomon Islands, a move that has been laughed off as ridiculous and illegal by his political opponents.

Whatever happens, the Premier says one thing is certain: as long as he is in power, China's interests will remain in exile on his island.

"This is our place and we will never share it with people who don't share our values and principles of democracy and independence," he says. "As long as the Malaita people still exist, we will continue to fight against China and anyone who threatens to take that independence away from us."

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/solomon-islands-premier-daniel-suidani-said-no-to-chinas-milliondollar-bribe/news-story/215022fd3edfd2982af7ec0925137685