New Zealand working on maritime security deal with Solomon Islands, says minister

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Within weeks of the public disclosure of the maritime security deal signed between China and the Solomon Islands, New Zealand announced that it has begun work on a similar agreement with the country of hundreds of islands in the South Pacific.

New Zealand Defense Minister Peeni Henare said, “The two countries have agreed on a 'small work plan' for increased collaboration in the maritime security space.”

“I won't go into the details of the work plan but it’s a positive sign, and they’ve got a job to do now to follow up with that particular piece of work,” Henare told daily Newsroom, which conducted his exclusive interview last weekend on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore but published it on Tuesday.

The news comes at a time when China has been training police officers in the Solomon Islands since last week.

Under the security deal, China will help the Solomon Islands enhance its security, as well as train and equip the police force with the latest technology.

Many countries in the region and beyond, including the US, are concerned that China will establish a military base in the archipelago nation, which both countries reject.

China has denied that the security agreement it signed with the Solomon Islands was intended to establish a military base.

“China-Solomon Islands security cooperation is aboveboard and frank, not imposing on others, not targeting third parties and not intending to establish military bases,” China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a news conference in Honiara, the Solomon Islands' capital, last month.

The Solomon Islands government has likewise rebuffed criticism from regional countries.

Collin Beck, the island nation's permanent secretary of foreign affairs, stated that the deal was "designed to address development needs and to address domestic security threats."

New Zealand is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance led by the US and includes Canada, Australia and the UK.

Washington also leads a loose regional security group that includes Japan, Australia and India.

The Quad alliance is one of the ways the US has been working to counter China's growing military and economic power.

Last year, Washington also signed the AUKUS pact with the UK and Australia, paving the way for Canberra to acquire nuclear-armed submarines.

The UK has bilateral military treaties with many countries in Asia-Pacific, including Japan and South Korea, where it has stationed thousands of soldiers and cutting-edge weaponry.​​​​​​​