'No China army base on Solomons'

SYDNEY, Australia, May 11 ------ Canberra will work with its allies to prevent China from setting up a military base on the Solomon Islands, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowed during a heated debate before the island-continent's May 21 elections.

China's growing clout in the Pacific has become a hot political issue in Australia ahead of the polls, following Beijing's announcement last month that it had signed a security pact with the Solomons. The China-Solomons deal has not been publicly released, but a leaked draft alarmed countries in the region, particularly sections that would allow Chinese naval deployments to the Solomons, which are less than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Australia. The agreement sparked fears that China may set up a military base in the Pacific state, though the Solomon Islands government has insisted this is not in the cards.

Morrison, whose conservative government is trailing the opposition Labor Party in the latest opinion polls, has been criticized for failing to prevent China from signing the deal in a region where Australia has traditionally had great influence. Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese described it in the televised debate as a "massive foreign policy failure." The prime minister has warned that establishing a Chinese military base on the Solomons would be crossing a "red line."

Pressed during the debate on what that red line means, Morrison said: "Australia would work with partners to ensure that that type of an outcome would be prevented." He added, however, that it would be "unwise" to speculate on specific measures that Australia might take to prevent such a base from being set up. "The Solomon Islands government themselves have made it very clear to us that that is not an outcome that they are seeking or supporting either. I believe it is not in their national interest to have such a presence," the premier said.

During May 8's testy debate, Morrison and Albanese also sparred over the rising cost of living, how best to tackle global warming and anti-corruption measures. But China's political and military sway in the Pacific region has emerged as a major foreign policy concern.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne held talks with her Solomons counterpart Jeremiah Manele in Brisbane on May 6, during which she repeated Australia's "deep concern" over the security agreement and the "lack of transparency" over its content. But she said Manele had reassured her that Australia remained the Pacific state's "partner of choice." Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has reacted angrily to criticism of the China deal, saying his country was being treated like "kindergarten students walking around with Colt 45s in our hands."

Source: manilatimes.net