The new Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands said he will review the country’s security treaty with China. HPR’s Derrick Malama has more in the Pacific News Minute.
Before Matthew Wale called for details of the treaty with China to be made public, even before he became Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands last month.
The pact was originally signed in 2022 with the country’s former Prime Minister.
It created concerns in the United States and among allies, including Australia, that it would allow the Chinese navy to build a base in the South Pacific.
The Associated Press reports that Wale said he had only been provided with a copy last week, and after he had “removed certain people from key positions.” He did not identify those people.
Wale visited Australia in his first overseas trip since becoming leader of his nation of 700,000 people, located 1,200 miles northeast of Australia.
Wale and his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, said their governments would negotiate a treaty to improve the bilateral relationship and cover security and economic issues.
Albanese said Australia should be the Solomons’ main security partner, rather than China.
Wale said the region looking after its own security is “the direction we want to take.”
