WELLINGTON, New Zealand — China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a 20-strong delegation arrived in the Solomon Islands on Thursday at the start of an eight-nation tour that comes amid growing concerns about Beijing’s military and financial ambitions in the South Pacific region.
Australia was scrambling to counter the move by sending its own foreign minister, Penny Wong, to Fiji to shore up support in the Pacific. Wong has been on the job just five days following an Australian election and had just arrived back Wednesday night from a meeting in Tokyo.
“We need to respond to this because this is China seeking to increase its influence in the region of the world where Australia has been the security partner of choice since the Second World War,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
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Meanwhile, the Media Association of Solomon Islands was calling on its members to boycott a news conference being held in the capital, Honiara, by Wang and his counterpart from the Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele.
That’s because only selected media were invited to the event, and the schedule allowed for just a single question to be asked of Wang by China’s state-owned broadcaster CCTV.
“Its a tough call to make regarding the media boycott for the press event on Thursday,” association president Georgina Kekea wrote on Twitter. “Our protest is for our govt to see our disappointment. They have failed us & they failed to protect #democracy.”
China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands last month in a move that sent shock waves around the world.
That pact has raised fears that China could 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.
A draft document obtained by The Associated Press shows that Wang is hoping to strike a deal with 10 small Pacific nations during his visit. The sweeping agreement covers everything from security to fisheries.
NBC News has not seen the document and the Chinese government has not commented on its authenticity.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China and the countries of the South Pacific “are good friends and good partners pursuing common development on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.”
“I do not agree at all with the argument that cooperation between China and the South Pacific island countries will trigger a new Cold War,” he added.
During his 10-day visit, Wang Yi is also planning to make stops in Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.
