China will consider building a police training center in the Solomon Islands, while Foreign Minister Wang Yi is touring the Pacific to try to increase its influence in the region.
Key points:
- Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele says China is considering a proposal to build a police training center in the Pacific nation.
- China will also help Samoa build a fingerprint lab for an already announced police academy project
- China’s foreign minister is on an eight-country tour of the Pacific, during which he seeks a comprehensive regional agreement on security and trade.
In addition to the possible new police training facility in Solomon Islands, China will also help Samoa build a fingerprint lab for the construction of a new police academy already announced.
Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele announced the proposal on Thursday during a visit by his Chinese counterpart to Honiara.
“China … will study a proposal … for a police training center and support for infrastructure and police assets given the country’s fragile security environment,” Manele told a boycotted news conference by local media.
China’s foreign minister is currently on a tour of eight countries in the Pacific, during which he is seeking a comprehensive regional agreement on security and trade, ahead of a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers with 10 Pacific countries on Monday in Fiji.
Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during her two-day visit to the nation. (Provided by: Government of Samoa)
Wang met with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on Saturday and discussed regional priorities for climate change, COVID-19 and security.
Following the meeting, the Samoan government issued a statement announcing that China would help build a new fingerprint lab in addition to the previously announced construction of a police academy.
Increased support for police training
The proposal for a China-funded police training center in the Solomon Islands reflects the promise of 2020 to build a police school in Samoa, as China seeks to increase its influence in the region by supporting police training .
In March, Solomon Islands police released images of their officers brandishing replicas of assault rifles donated by the Chinese government, as part of a new police training program run by Chinese police.
At the time, there were questions about the legality of sending replica weapons, as well as the future implications of this firearms training.
Opposition experts and politicians believe that the replica weapons movement clearly suggested that the police force planned to carry real weapons from China in the future.
Australian officials also warn that China could encourage more brutal and confrontational tactics to quell local protests, igniting existing political and ethnic tensions.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrives in Fiji on Saturday ahead of Monday’s meeting with foreign ministers with 10 Pacific countries.
China is seeking a comprehensive multilateral agreement
Earlier this week, it was revealed that China hopes to reach an agreement with 10 Pacific nations during Mr.’s tour. Wang for the region.
The broad agreement covers everything from security to fishing, and at least one Pacific leader sees it as an attempt by Beijing to gain control of the region.
A draft statement and a five-year action plan sent by Beijing to 10 Pacific countries led to a rejection by the leader of the Federated States of Micronesia, who said it showed China’s intention to control the region and “threatens the regional stability “.
News of the proposed deal follows last month’s announcement of a new security pact between the Solomon Islands and China, to the extent that it has worried traditional regional partners such as the US and Australia, as well as civil servants. intelligence.
This pact has raised fears that China may send troops to the island nation or even establish a military base there, not far from Australia.
The Solomon Islands and China say there are no plans for a base.
Mr Wang’s Pacific tour coincides with the visit of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to the Pacific, meeting with Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama on Friday on his first official trip to the Pacific. region since his swearing in last week.
ABC
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Posted 5 hours, 5 hours ago, Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 6:18 AM, updated 5 hours, 5 hours ago, Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 7:03 AM