The Solomon Islands and Australia have long been interlinked. Since World War Two, Australia has been the islands' largest aid donor, development partner and until now the sole security partner.
onsdag 30. mars 2022
China gains a foothold in Australia's backyard
Late last week, a proposed security treaty between China and a tiny chain of islands in the Pacific sent shock waves across the ocean. The leaked draft signalled that China could deploy troops to the Solomon Islands - and potentially establish a naval base there. Nowhere was more alarmed than the Solomons' neighbour to the south, Australia - the bedrock regional partner of the Aukus alliance, a new security pact in the Pacific Ocean with the US and UK. "The details of this deal are still uncertain. But even if it's smaller than the feared military base, it would be China's first foothold in the Pacific," says Prof Alan Gyngell from the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
The Solomon Islands and Australia have long been interlinked. Since World War Two, Australia has been the islands' largest aid donor, development partner and until now the sole security partner.
The Solomon Islands and Australia have long been interlinked. Since World War Two, Australia has been the islands' largest aid donor, development partner and until now the sole security partner.
