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The prime minister of Solomon Islands says China has agreed to provide funding to prop up the country's troubled budget, and also accused Australia and development partners of suddenly withdrawing financial support worth millions of dollars.
Key points:
- Manasseh Sogavare says Solomon Islands is struggling financially
- He says countries such as Australia and New Zealand have withdrawn promised funding
- In the absence of "traditional donors", he says China is filling the gap
Manasseh Sogavare has once again taken aim at Australia and the United States for criticising his country's policing pact with China, and has declared that "nothing" can stop him asking from Beijing to send police to help if disorder breaks out again in Solomon Islands and other countries are slow to respond.
And he has also mused about the possibility of Solomon Islands setting up its own military forces, saying he discussed the idea with Richard Marles during the deputy prime minister's recent visit to the Pacific Island country.
The prime minister revealed Beijing had offered to provide budget support during an explosive press conference at Honiara's airport on return from a week-long trip to China.
Anger over funding from 'traditional' donors
Mr Sogavare said Australia and New Zealand had initially promised "12 and 15 million dollars respectively" to help the budget. Although it is not clear whether those figures are in Australian dollars, or in Solomon Islands dollars, which would represent only $2 and $2.6 million in Australian currency.
But he said the decision by "traditional" donors had made life difficult for Solomon Islands finance officials, particularly as the country prepared for the Pacific Games in November this year.
"Some of our donor partners who have committed to providing budget support to us this year have since changed their position and delayed their assistance for us and we are struggling to finance the 2023 budget," he said.
"This has left this country and people in a predicament. But I am glad to announce and delighted to announce the People's Republic of China have really stepped up to provide this budget support needed for 2023."
Mr Sogavare said China would provide the support through "projects" but did not provide any further details.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) denied the Australian government had backtracked on any formal commitments.
"Australia has delivered on our budget support commitments to Solomon Islands this year," a DFAT spokesperson said.
"This support has been provided across numerous sectors in Solomon Islands including health, education and elections," they said.
"We continue to discuss development and budget support needs with the Solomon Islands government."
Australia has announced several tranches of direct support in the past two years, including $25 million for running elections in 2024, and almost $17 million for the Pacific Games.
Lowy Institute Pacific Islands Program director Meg Keen she was surprised to hear Mr Sogavare's accusations, as there was "no record" of the withdrawal in budget support.
However, Dr Keen said that behind closed doors the Australian government would "no doubt be concerned" about Mr Sogavare's comments and perceived lean towards China.
"It's another example of Mr Sogavare trying to wedge Australia, the US and China to get more for his country," Dr Keen said.
"There has been long-held concern [from Australia] about Mr Sogavare getting closer to China, and you can see from these comments that perhaps that concern is justified."
Australia accused of foreign interference
Mr Sogavare also berated Australia and the United States for raising concerns about deepening police cooperation between China and Solomon Islands.
"The narrow and coercive diplomatic approach of targeting China-Solomon Islands relations, and I want to use this word, is unneighbourly … this is nothing but interference of foreign states in the internal affairs of Solomon Islands," he said.
"China has not invaded or colonised any other nation-state. Australia and the United States should not fear China's police support."
Australia is increasingly anxious that China might send police to the Pacific Island country if the country is once again hit by disorder like the rioting which shook Honiara in late 2021.
Mr Sogavare stressed that Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific nations remained the security "partner of choice" for Solomon Islands, and he said if riots broke out once again then he would call them first for help.
"We have a standing, a current arrangement with SIAF (Solomon Islands Assistance Forces) with Australia, New Zealand, PNG, Fiji, but now we'll need to dialogue with them, as we are consistent that they are our partner of choice," he said.
"For that matter we'll need to call on them first. The police commissioner is working very closely with these countries and from the police commissioner's briefing, the arrangements are set."
Sogavare says China's forces only nine hours away
But he also stressed that Solomon Islands had a "standing arrangement" with China as well, and if there was a "delay" getting help then "it takes only nine hours' flight from China to land forces here".
"Nothing is actually stopping me from that if there are some hiccups along the way," he said.
"We can invoke our security arrangements. Nothing will stop this sovereign country."
The prime minister said China was also providing invaluable support in a host of other development areas, including infrastructure, health, agriculture, sport and tackling climate change.
Mr Sogavare said China might "very well be the answer to — not all — but most of our challenges", and Solomon Islands had to free itself from the "yoke" of dependency on others.
He also mused about Solomon Islands setting up its own armed forces, saying its police force was far too small to deal with a rapidly growing population.
But that would be a significant departure for Solomon Islands, which has long been troubled by domestic turmoil but does not maintain a standing army.
Mr Sogavare said he "sounded out" the issue with Mr Marles, and suggested the Australian deputy prime minister might have been supportive.
"We talked about so many other things including the establishment of a full military force in this country," he said
Graeme Smith from the Australian National University said Mr Sogavare had nursed an ambition to set up a military in Solomon Islands for quite some time.
"There are quite a few coded messages in his speech," Dr Smith said.
"One of them seems to be — 'take steps to help us fulfil our legitimate aspiration to set up a military force, Australia. Or, we'll ask Beijing'.
"It puts the Australian and US governments in a pretty difficult position, given Kurt Campbell's statement last year that the US would "respond accordingly" if Beijing should have a military presence in the Solomon Islands."