White House said on Tuesday (April 19) that it is concerned about lack of transparency surrounding China’s reported security agreement with the Solomon Islands. White House has called it to be part of pattern of Beijing offering ‘shadowy’ deals to smaller countries.
Earlier, China said that it had signed a security deal with Solomon Islands. This has drawn attention of US allies Australia and New Zealand. There are concerns about growing Chinese influence in a region traditionally under their sway.
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a statement that US officials would raise the issue with the Solomon Islands on a planned visit to the Pacific Island country this week.
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“We are concerned by the lack of transparency and unspecified nature of this agreement, which follows a pattern of China offering shadowy, vague deals with little regional consultation in fishing, resource management, development assistance and now security practices,” the official said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Tuesday: “The foreign ministers of China and the Solomon Islands officially signed the framework agreement on security cooperation recently.”
The spokesperson did not specify when or where the signing took place.
A draft version of the agreement leaked last month rattled Western governments, with provisions allowing for Chinese security and naval deployments to the crisis-hit Pacific island nation.
According to the draft, armed Chinese police could be deployed at the Solomon Islands’ request to maintain “social order”.
