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

By
Keith Locke
-
32
913

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.

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.”

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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.

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32 COMMENTS

    • It is too late to look to your defences when you can see the sunlight glinting off the spear tips of your enemies.

      Locke and the Greens which he used to represent are the the modern equivalent of the Moriori sitting on the beach watching the Taranaki iwi come ashore thinking that passive resistance is a good idea.

      War is a reality – it always has been and it very much looks like it always will be (something that China will understand and accept).

      • Large states are always pushy and a 700 million middle class Chinese have expectations that the resources of the south Pacific couldn’t possibly satisfy.

        This warm fuzzy and peaceful south Pacific utopia that Keith Lock believes is just round the corner, if only we could get rid of those big bad missiles, just doesn’t exist much while China, one of the 5 permanent UN Security council members have veto powers.

        Under international rules, the government has to get the okay from the UN for aid and what not because it’s supposed to be their responsibility. Unless of course we do our own gov to Gov aid program by asking client states permission. As a former Green Party spokesman, lock should know all this better than I.

        I mean if Lock truly wanted a peaceful south Pacific with no missile plans then he should have got in there with middle class producing welfare and aid before China did, way back when he had a bit of power to play the game. In his case, play to lose.

        Now everything in New Zealand’s power must be done to keep Chinese democratic rule out of the Pacific.

        Yes we can have Chinese money, and we can all share in the spoils. But I’ll be fucked off if we start sending people back to China for re educaeducation, liver transplants, or worse.

        You had your chance mr lock. Now shut the fuck up.

  2. I agree the Solomon’s should be able to engage with the Chinese however they want. But we shouldn’t be giving aid to them or any other pacific island nation other than Tonga.
    Aid should be for exceptional circumstances, not for putting entire nations on welfare.

    • Why Tonga that has a ridiculous monarchy that will be raking in the dosh against its people. I saw the house by the airport that the Tongan King stays in before he flies out of the country, outrageous.

      • yup we support undemocratic regimes to preserve democracy in the region…and least the chinese buy their friends without the hogwash

  3. That’s what you get after decades of neglect and a colonial attitude.

    At least the Chinese will keep those warmongering Americans away.
    And the ozzies will attempt to threaten China with it’s nuclear submarines it doesn’t have until 2040!

    Let’s all play nice as if we’re all besties.

  4. 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?

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. either self determination is a thing or it isn’t..if we decide it is…then we should STFU about the solomons and if it isn’t then we should STFU about ukraine….of course it could be we have no moral ground to stand on because ‘reactions’ are based purely on our perceived national interest, in which case we just cut the emotive moral twattery and admit that particular truth…

    • Any other example you have?
      Most developing countries welcome Chinese investment. If they did not, they simply would say no.

      • The problem is that the long term interests of the country, and it’s people, tend to be ignored by the naïve/incompetent/corrupt politicians that the developing countries are often “blessed” with. The riots in the Solomans and Tonga were, fundamentally, against both the government and their Chinese enablers.

        • It’s all good. Short term China wins the commercial game. It’s up to us to win the merchandising game. Put Kiwi reputation and logo on everything South Pacific then sit back and enjoy.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

    • “colonial jackboot”
      Get a grip Mark, that was in the 1800’s, do you seriously believe this clown “intergenerational anger that could be relieved, if the complete history of the practise were taught in schools” Dr Gegeo said.
      Rarking the kids up about something that happened hundreds of years ago is going the relieve their “anger”? That’s going to help? Sounds like the sort of BS they’re promoting with the kids history curriculum here.

      • “Get a grip Mark, that was in the 1800’s”

        Bullshit. Extraterritoriality only ended in China after WWII

        Solomon’s became independent in 1978
        In any case its not about rarking things up over what happened in the past.
        Its simply pointing out the grossly hypocritical overreaction of Australia and New Zealand to two independent sovereign countries, China and the Solomon Islands deciding on the relationship they will have with each other.

        After all did Australia and NZ consult with Pacific countries when they tied their economies to China in recent decades. Did Australia consult with the Solomon Islands over the Darwin port or whatever, of various FTA with China? NZ and Australia recognised the PRC over Taiwan in the 1970s, yet the Solomon’s are somehow being ‘bought off’ when they do the same.

        Arrogant parternalistic racist bull shit on behalf of Australia & NZ.

        • You must have quite a collection of Wolf Warrior ‘Good Work’ stickers by now Mark, your superiors in Beijing must very impressed with your subservience.

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