Australia will work with its allies to ensure that China does not set up a military base in the Solomon Islands, which has a security pact with Beijing, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a debate on Sunday. electoral.
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Read alsoFrance considers Solomon Islands-China security pact “worrying”
The Solomon Islands sparked concern from Australia, its traditional ally, and the United States by signing a security pact with China last month.
Canberra and Washington fear that this agreement will allow Beijing to install a military presence in the archipelago, located 2000 km from Australia.
This agreement has become a subject of controversy in the context of the campaign for the legislative elections of May 21 in Australia.
Scott Morrison has been criticized for failing to prevent the deal from being signed, in a region where Australia has traditionally had great influence.
During the televised debate between him and the Conservative Prime Minister, Labor opposition leader Anthony Albanese called the security pact with China a “
massive foreign policy failure
”.
Scott Morrison stressed for his part that the installation of a Chinese military base on the Solomon Islands would be the crossing of a “
red line
”.
“
Australia will work with its partners to prevent such an outcome
,” he said.
He added, however, that it would be "
misguided
" to speculate on what measures Australia might take to prevent the installation of a Chinese military base on the archipelago.
"
The Solomon Islands government itself has made it very clear to us that it does not seek or support
" the establishment of a Chinese military presence, he said.
“
It is not in their national interest to have such a presence
,” he continued.
During a meeting in Brisbane on Friday with her Solomon Islands counterpart Jeremiah Manele, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne expressed Australia's "
deep concern
" "
about the security agreement with China and its lack of transparency
”.
For his part, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told parliament on Tuesday that there was “
no need to worry about the security pact and deplored
” the lack of trust “from other countries.
Read alsoChina announces that it has signed a controversial security agreement with the Solomon Islands
Without citing Australia, Manasseh Sogavare said there was a "risk of military intervention" by countries that deemed their interests in the Solomons at risk.
"
In other words (...) we are threatened with invasion, and this is serious
,
"
continued the Prime Minister
.
“We are treated like kindergarteners walking around with Colts 45s in our hands, and therefore need to be watched,” he added.