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Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Wednesday said that the Solomon Islands should not let itself be treated as a pawn after its signing of a security agreement with China.
China and Solomon Islands on Tuesday signed a framework agreement on security cooperation that neighbours of the South Pacific archipelago fear could open the door to a Chinese naval base in the country. The security pact has caused fears that China will use the archipelago, which lies 2,000 kilometers from Australia, as a base for its military expansion plans in the Pacific region, Taiwan News reported. It further reported that the "Framework Agreement on Security Cooperation" allows China to send public security, People's Armed Police, and military units to assist with maintaining order, while Navy vessels can dock at the Solomon Islands' harbours for supply purposes. Officials from the United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand on Tuesday (local time) expressed concerns about a proposed security framework between the Solomon Islands and China and its "serious risks to a free and open Indo-Pacific." This statement was issued after the high-level US officials convened a meeting in Honolulu with senior officials from Australia, Japan, and New Zealand on developments in the Pacific Islands on April 18. "We will do this in ever-closer partnership with Pacific Island nations, including through a united Pacific Islands Forum, and together with like-minded countries, within and beyond the region, including in Europe," the White House statement read. "Officials from the four countries represented also shared concerns about a proposed security framework between the Solomon Islands and the People's Republic of China (PRC) and its serious risks to a free and open Indo-Pacific," it added. The meeting was part of regular and extensive US consultations with allies and partners on the Indo-Pacific and is part of the announced senior administration travel this week to Hawaii, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. (ANI)
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