Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) yesterday met with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, the first visit by an official of the new Australian administration to Honiara amid concern over its security pact with China.
Wong made no immediate comment on the talks, but said earlier that she wanted to discuss COVID-19 pandemic recovery, economic development, climate change and “our shared security interests.”
The Solomon Islands’ security pact with China would be discussed at next month’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Suva, several island nations have said.
Photo: AFP / AUSTRALIA`S DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE / JULIA WHITWELL
Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the US have said they are concerned that Beijing could establish a military presence in the Pacific, although Sogavare has denied the pact with China would allow a military base and would instead focus on policing.
Canberra has said it would expand work opportunities for Pacific islands nationals in Australia, a vital source of remittances for their communities, and has pledged a 10-year 1.5 billion Solomon Islands dollars (US$185 million) infrastructure program for the country to create local economic opportunities.
Australia’s aid has traditionally focused on less visible sectors, such as health, and Wong visited a school to announce that Canberra would donate 200,000 COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 11 or younger.
Solomon Islands Acting Minister of Education Frederick Kologeto said the vaccines would help schools reopen after five months of COVID-19 curbs.
Separately, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would take advice on whether to accept Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s invitation to visit Kyiv during an upcoming Europe trip.
Albanese is to attend a NATO meeting in Spain later this month.
He only yesterday became aware of Zelenskiy’s invitation when he read a newspaper report, he said.
“I’ll take appropriate advice,,” he said. “I appreciate the spirit in which it’s been offered, and one of the reasons why Australia has been invited to NATO is that Australia is the largest non-NATO contributor to give support to Ukraine in its defense of its national sovereignty.”
Additional reporting by AP
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