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.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. T...
The UK government has nationalised British Steel, taking full ownership of the country's only primary steelmaker from its Chinese owners to safeguard ...
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev invited Chinese technology companies to expand investment in Kazakhstan during a business roundtable in Shangha...
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The UK government has nationalised British Steel, taking full ownership of the country's only primary steelmaker from its Chinese owners to safeguard the future of the UK's steel industry.
Two British hackers who carried out a cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the transport authority £29 million to remediate have been jailed for a total of 11 years.
Officials from more than 20 oil-producing countries have agreed on a roadmap to strengthen international cooperation in the oil industry during a meeting in Azerbaijan. The plan aims to deepen collaboration across key areas, including markets, technology, investment and regulation.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
Two British hackers who carried out a cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL) that cost the transport authority £29 million to remediate have been jailed for a total of 11 years.
At least 11 people have been killed and 19 injured in a fire at an orphanage on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, state media reported. The blaze broke out early on Thursday at the institution in the eastern suburbs of Algiers.
A woman whose husband was sucked out of the window of a plane during a Ryanair flight has recounted pulling her husband to safety. Serbian couple Svetlana Maksimovic and Ljubisa Karovic had just settled into a flight with the airline last week, when a loud bang pierced the hum of engines.
Russia launched a fresh wave of missile strikes on Ukraine early on Thursday, saying it had hit military and industrial facilities in Kyiv, as well as key port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region.
Uganda is expected to discharge its final Ebola patient on Thursday, beginning the 42-day countdown required before the country can be declared free of the virus if no new cases emerge, according to a government spokesperson.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment