China has put forward plans to dramatically expand security and economic cooperation with South Pacific nations, with one regional leader calling it a thinly veiled effort to lock them into “Beijing’s orbit” and Washington warning against “shadowy” deals.
The United States warned Friday it would “respond accordingly” if China installs a military base on the strategic Solomon Islands after the tiny Pacific state signed a security pact with Beijing.
China said Tuesday it has sealed a wide-ranging security pact with the Solomon Islands, an agreement the United States and its regional allies fear could give Beijing a military foothold in the South Pacific.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Friday his government would not allow a Chinese military base to be built in his country “under its watch” as he defended a pending security agreement with Beijing.
Angry riots that left buildings burning in the Solomon Islands capital on Thursday are the latest flare-up in two decades of tensions in the Pacific nation that have often ensnared Chinese businesses.
China urged the United States Friday to prevent Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen from making a stopover in American territory during her upcoming visit to three Pacific allies.
