Posted By Staff Reporter
The leader of the Federated States of Micronesia has urged the Solomon Islands not to sign a security pact with China, saying he had "grave security concerns" and feared the Pacific could become embroiled in a war between China and the United States. The prime minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, said on Tuesday a security agreement with China was ready for signing but he did not disclose its details and he rejected concern by Australia, New Zealand and the United States that it would undermine regional security." My fear is that we - the Pacific Islands - would be at the epicentre of a future confrontation between these major powers," Micronesia's president, David Panuelo, wrote in a letter to the leader of the Solomon Islands, according to a copy seen by Reuters on Thursday.
But he said the security pact Sogavare was preparing to sign was unprecedented and could fuel fragmentation of the Pacific islands so they became tools of great power rivalry. The problem of climate change would be replaced by "all-too-real concerns about a war in our backyards", he wrote, pointing to the conflict in Ukraine. Despite the plea, China and Solomon Islands moved closer to their pact, the two countries said on Thursday, with their officials initialling a framework agreement on bilateral security cooperation. Reuters Next : Tongan MP And Former MP Sentenced To Six Years Jail Comments are closed.
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