Anxieties in Australia and New Zealand about China’s growing influence in the Solomon Islands and the greater South Pacific had already been running high before Wang’s arrival on Wednesday. Now, however, those worries have moved into overdrive.
The governments in both Canberra and Wellington have taken high profile measures in the past 24 hours that appear aimed at blunting Beijing’s diplomatic push:
- AUSTRALIA: Newly-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dispatched Foreign Minister Penny Wong to Fiji on Thursday where she will meet with Prime Minister Bainimarama ahead of Wang Yi’s arrival. Prime Minister Albanese said Australia “had dropped the ball” with regards to its South Pacific diplomacy and now that Beijing is engaging he added that his government will “step up, genuinely.” (ABC NEWS)
- NEW ZEALAND: Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced on Wednesday that New Zealand Defence Force’s deployment to the Solomon Islands will be extended in the Solomon Islands until at least next May. The troops are part of the Pacific-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force. During talks with her SI counterpart Jeremiah Manele this week, she received assurances that Honiara will not allow China to build a military base. (REUTERS)
