NZ shouldn’t Big Brother the Solomons over relations with China

By
Keith Locke
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32
944

Every now and again there’s a scare story about China trying to establish a military base in the South Pacific.

In 2018 it was Vanuatu’s turn.  Australia’s Fairfax Media reported that China had approached Vanuatu to allow a permanent military presence in the country. Vanuatu flatly denied any such talks.

In 2021 Television New Zealand ran breathless stories about a possible Chinese military base in Kiribati and how it would alter the balance of power in the Pacific.  It transpired that China had merely offered to help rehabilitate an airstrip on Kanton Island.   Kiribati made it clear it that this was a “civilian use only” project.

Now there  is a furore about a possible Chinese “base” in the  Solomons consequential on a  Memorandum of Understanding the Solomons is signing with China.  Despite Solomons prime minister Manasseh Sogavare denying any intention to allow a base, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has expressed “strong condemnation of such agreement” and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says it is “gravely concerning”.

Sogavare has rejected the paternalistic commentary of Australia and New Zealand that  somehow the Solomons is in their “backyard” and China should keep out.

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Jacinda Ardern said that the MOU could lead to the “militarisation” of the region, which is a fair enough concern.   I would prefer the South Pacific to be a zone of peace,  with lightly armed forces tasked mainly for disaster relief and resource protection.  But if our PM is really against militarisation she should point the finger first at Australia for its planned purchase of several new nuclear powered submarines, some to be based on Australia’s Pacific coast, or the US for expanding its military presence on Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia.  Jacinda could also explain why her own government is spending $2.3 billion on six new P8 surveillance planes, optimized for anti-submarine warfare and armed with missiles.

Now I’d rather not see Chinese warships visiting Honiara, as permitted under the MOU.   Port visits by warships are a strange way of expressing friendship.  Although I should point out that New Zealand has hosted Chinese navy ships in the past, and our navy has docked in Chinese ports, without generating much controversy.

Perhaps the most concerning part of the Solomons/China MOU is the bit authorizing the deployment of Chinese  police to protect property or in a crisis. Now maybe the Chinese cops will be on their best behavior, but I take on board the words of the Solomons Leader of the Opposition, Matthew Wale, that China is not democratic and that this will affect “what [police] training is conducted, how arrests are done, the manner in which courts function, the extent to which individual rights can be expressed, and ultimately, how the rule of law is perceived.”

However, a Western-driven project to “keep China out of our region” is never going to work.  Pacific island nations need all the development aid  they can get and China has the money.  Some Chinese aid will be useful and appropriate and some won’t.  There have been valid criticisms of China concentrating its aid on grander, costly projects that increase an island nation’s debt.  But ultimately it is up to each island nation to determine its relations with China.  Australia and New Zealand berating them is ultimately going to be counter-productive.

32 COMMENTS

  1. New Zealand and US Deputy Dog, Australia in particular, have hardly covered themselves in glory with their treatment of Pacific Nations over many decades. Yes aid here and there, and why not given the comparative wealth of the two nations, and Jacinda’s apology to Samoa and so on, but always in the background is 5 Eyes and US Imperialism.

    As far as us ordinary people can discover online, USA has approx 750 acknowledged offshore bases and military type facilities, PRC maybe 5. Who is kidding who about the main threat to peace in the world.

    • The possibility of Australia / NZ being attacked by the US is realistically zero whereas the PRC is a ruthless and heartless regime literally capable of anything (re organ harvesting / Uygur concentration camps / refusal to meaningfully cooperate with investigations around the origin of Covid / monitoring of and threats towards (not only) Chinese overseas etc).

      Can you also please clarify ‘Tiger Mountain’ if you are yourself Chinese?

  2. China is just doing what the UK did (a century or more ago) and the USA still does, to expand it’s influence as a ‘colonial power’ or empire.
    Do as I say, not as I do?

    • Yes I agree. China bad, US good, now how many countries has China invaded and how many the USA………

      Good stuff tiger mountain, all those military facilities and bases all over the show. The US wants to remain top dog, mustn’t allow China to be top dog.

    • Don’t know if the “whatabout…” argument is particularly helpful in informing a position today though Kevin.

      What do we know of the situation in Solomon Islands? There is certainly widespread dissatisfaction with the government and of the increasing ties and obligations to China. The attraction of Chinese militia for their naïve/incompetent/corrupt politicians is obvious. Don’t expect the Chinese to be raising any questions about that.

      After a visit to Tonga and seeing the huge military fort masquerading as an embassy, the new Naval base pretending to be a port, witnessing the open Chinese contempt for the Tongan people and reading about the serious drug problem from Chinese supplied methamphetamine and the unpayable mountain of debt owing to Chinese lenders (much of it wasted on vanity projects and the new “port” facilities) I am deeply concerned for the future of the Tongan people. While they are our nearest neighbour and could pose a problem for us in the future, having to fearfully toe the Beijing line is not something anyone would want.

      These countries are now largely independent, not colonies, and probably prefer to remain that way. We do have an interest – Tonga is only 1,000NMs away.
      We also have in common The South Pacific Forum – a regional organisation for, and of, our various mutual interests. The days of direct “colonial” governance and control are gone. Except for New Caledonia and French Polynesia, which are largely autonomous and self governing but with various ties to France.

      I have to say the infrastructure in New Cal is pretty impressive – great buildings, hospitals and schools, roads and bridges, the navigation markers all work and everything is pretty well maintained. Life expectancy, infant mortality and education very impressive by the standards of the region. The contrast with their cousins over in Vanuatu couldn’t be more stark. Whether the Chinese are intent on achieving the same, and a functional, liberal democracy, for the Soloman people I very much doubt.

  3. This is a gross assumption on my part but this smacks of a small number of corrupt politicians etc getting into bed with China in order to line their own pockets with no regard to the longer term effects on the people of the Solomon’s.

  5. We have probably got about 2 to 5 years left to live in peace before china invades and we all get massacred. Nice knowing you.

  6. We live in a free world. China has every right to “try to influence” the Solomon’s Islands. And The Solomon’s have every right to take advantage of their economic assistance.
    And we in New Zealand have every right to be on guard against military threats. But we should welcome China’s economic power, and cooperate with China, in every way possible – simply because we live so close to China. Whether we like it or not, we live in their back yard – and can actually benefit hugely from their economic power.
    We should, however, always bear in mind that “If you desire peace, prepare for war”. Future military conflicts will, I believe, always be based on traditional weaponry only (like, for example, the present war in Ukraine). Nuclear wars between super-powers are simply impossible – because of M.A.D. – Mutually Assured Destruction – but we will find that ordinary, small peripheral wars will occur from time to time – and will, as always, be determined by courage, heroism, determination and fearlessness (as shown by the Ukrainians today).
    But of course we must join our natural western, democratic, defence treaties (the US, Australia, Japan) – and increase our defence preparedness by spending more on defence.

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