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Foreign Minister Penny Wong is visiting Solomon Islands on Friday.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

“And I welcomed Prime Minister Sogavare’s reassurances that there will not be a military base nor persistent foreign military presence in Solomon Islands,” she said.

The commitments followed an hour-long meeting in Honiara two months after Sogavare signed a security deal with Beijing that gave the superpower the power to use force to protect its assets. Wong did not specify on Friday whether Chinese police would still be able to be deployed to protect Beijing’s investments or if Chinese military forces would be able to operate in the country for short periods of time.

A draft of the security deal leaked in April revealed a proposal for Chinese ships to be able to dock and replenish in the Solomons. Sogavare has since repeatedly denied plans to allow a Chinese naval base to be built less than 2000 kilometres from the Australian east coast.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in Beijing in 2019.Credit:AP

China on Friday launched a new aircraft carrier capable of carrying Chinese warplanes deep into the Pacific. The Fujian is China’s third aircraft carrier but the first to rival US capability with the ability to launch a wide variety of fighter jets and ammunition.

Wong said Australia and Solomons “obviously did talk about regional security” after China attempted to ram through a Pacific-wide security deal similar to the one it had signed with Honiara in May.

“Australia’s view does remain that the Pacific family should be responsible for our security and the Pacific family is more than capable of providing that security,” she said.

The Fujian,seen here at its launch,can dispatch planes deep into Pacific territory.Credit:AP

Wong also announced Australia would escalate its humanitarian commitments to Honiara by providing another 200,000 COVID vaccine doses to help vaccinate children aged between 5 and 11. Solomon Islands was the first country in the Pacific to roll out a vaccine program with Chinese-made Sinopharm in May last year.

Solomons Health Minister Dr Culwick Togamana said the vaccines would help Solomons re-open its borders after being mostly shut for more than two years.

“This is not the first time Solomon Islands has benefited tremendously from Australia’s support,” he said.

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