Australia and the Solomon Islands have pledged to strengthen bilateral ties while condemning China's recent ballistic missile test in the Pacific, warning that the launch risks undermining regional stability.
Speaking in Honiara on Tuesday (7 July) after talks with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the launch as "a provocative act" that destabilises the region.
"There is no doubt that this is a provocative act by China, which does destabilise the region," Albanese said during a joint news conference.
Albanese said Beijing failed to provide the customary 48 hours' advance notice before the launch and expressed particular concern that the ballistic missile was fired from a nuclear-powered submarine.
China's state news agency Xinhua reported that a People's Liberation Army Navy submarine launched a missile carrying a dummy warhead into designated waters in the Pacific on Monday.
Beijing did not disclose the exact location where the missile landed.
The test prompted criticism from the U.S., Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Taiwan, while China's Foreign Ministry urged countries not to "over-interpret the matter".
Prime Minister Wale, whose government took office in May, said the Solomon Islands valued its relationship with China but opposed missile testing in the Pacific.
"China is a good friend of Solomon Islands but this is not something a friend does," Wale said.
"We don't want to see any more countries, China, America, anybody, testing intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Pacific Islands region. Be our friend, but don't threaten us."
The Solomon Islands has maintained close ties with Beijing since signing a security pact in 2022, a move that raised concerns in Canberra and Washington over China's growing strategic presence in the South Pacific.
Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu said the missile flew over the Philippines before landing between Tonga and Nauru, about 1,000 kilometres from the Solomon Islands. Reuters could not independently verify that flight path.
Alongside security concerns, Albanese and Wale agreed to accelerate negotiations on a comprehensive bilateral treaty aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two countries.
Australia has intensified its engagement with Pacific island nations in recent months, signing new agreements with Fiji and Vanuatu as it seeks to strengthen regional partnerships amid growing competition with China.
Wale also said during a visit to Australia last month that his government would review the Solomon Islands' security agreement with Beijing, signalling a potential reassessment of one of the region's most closely watched strategic relationships.
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