Someone from within Solomon Islands government also leaked a broader draft security agreement with China. This, however, didn’t stop antipodean pundits from racing to hype the threat of a Chinese base. Australia has its own security agreement with Solomon Islands. And as Scott Morrison pointed out, Manasseh Sogavare, Solomon Islands prime minister, has explicitly ruled out a Chinese base. But a Chinese base in Solomons serves neither his interest, nor that of the Chinese.

Source: The Guardian April 27, 2022 00:30 UTC