Draft security agreement between Solomon Islands and China came as ‘no surprise’

A leaked draft security agreement being negotiated between China and Solomon Islands has triggered alarm in the Pacific, including in Australia and New Zealand. The two neighbours are worried it could jeopardise regional stability, with China having the opportunity to base navy warships in the Pacific less than 2,000km off the Australian coast. Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare dismissed foreign criticism and took aim at the Australian media for implying that China was pressuring