Australia will continue to lobby Solomon Islands over its deepening ties to China, but an "arc of autocracy" is threatening our region, the Foreign Minister says.
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A defence pact signed by Honiara and Beijing, potentially paving with way for a Chinese naval presence on Australia's doorstep, has sparked alarm in Canberra and seen the government accused of an egregious foreign policy blunder.
Speaking to the United States Studies Centre on Thursday, Marise Payne framed the deal as part of "the most significant and consequential realignment of our region" since WWII.
Senator Payne warned an increasingly assertive China wielding "raw power", coupled with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, meant "stability can be easily disrupted".
"The world is changing before our eyes. War stalks Europe again. Coercion troubles our own region once more," she said,
"An arc autocracy from Beijing to Moscow is challenging the rules-based world order."
Senator Payne reiterated Australia and its Pacific neighbours were "deeply concerned" about the pact, which she framed as part of Beijing's desire to establish a security presence in the region.
But she insisted Australia remained Solomon Islands' "security partner of choice", and the government would continue to work with Honiara to secure the region.
"No document signed and kept away from public view is going to change that," she said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described a naval base in Solomon Islands as a "red line" for Australia, though stressed Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has claimed the country would not host a Chinese naval base.
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But after some Coalition members implied bribery was behind the accord, she warned the terms underpinning the deal remained secret, a fact which concerned the entire "Pacific family".
"It's not transparent. It's not open ... It is not something that has been made available to partners or discussed with partners, not just not with Australia, but not with Pacific partners [either]," she said.
The Foreign Minister was accused of absenteeism after reports of the pact emerged, with junior minister Zed Seselja dispatched to Honiara in her stead. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has implied sending a high-ranking official would have been poorly received by Solomon Islands.
Senator Payne rebuffed suggestions the government had dropped the ball in relations with the region, stressing police support for Honiara during recent unrest, and $2.7 billion in development for the Pacific this year.
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