CHINA’S MISSILE TEST OVER PACIFIC REGION

Transparency Solomon Islands raised a number of concerns in 2019 when Solomon Islands switched its diplomatic relation from Taiwan to China.  It did so for a number of reasons, the most important of which was corrosive capital, soft power and the country’s weak governance. 

Nevertheless, the switch was made and China has built a number of state-of-the-art infrastructures, including the National Stadium, the National Referral Hospital, communications towers and many more. It has also sent a number of public officials to China for training, its state-owned enterprise doing road construction in the capital city and out in the province to name a few. 

In natural resources it is developing the Gold Ridge Mine. Its presence in the country is becoming more and more visible, and as described by Hon. Mathew Wale (Prime Minister) despite the trepidations raised in 2019 as spoken by Hon Mathew Wale (Prime Minister) has become a good friend of Solomon Islands. 

Its actions this week firing and testing its long-range ballistic missile into the Pacific is not the action of a friend as said by the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Hon. Mathew Wale.  It is proper and fitting for Prime Minister Wale to strongly condemn China for its unfriendly conduct and action.  

Solomon Islands being the ground zero for superpowers geopolitical competition, this action of a friend does nothing good for Solomon Islands image amongst its Pacific country families.  

Transparency Solomon Islands applauds Hon Prime Minister for his bold statement on behalf of the people of Solomon Islands and Pacific Island Forum countries in his position as the Chair of the Forum.

Transparency Solomon Islands notes that the stand taken by Prime Minister Hon. Mathew Wale is as strong or almost as strong as the action and decision taken by our founding fathers in the 1980s over this same behaviour of China.  

In the 1980s when Solomon Islands was setting up diplomatic ties with foreign countries China was amongst the countries it decided to have diplomatic ties with. 

A delegation led by late Sir Paul Tovua in his capacity as the Member of Parliament and a cabinet Minister then left Solomon Islands to establish diplomatic ties with China. 

On their way to China, they stopped in Hongkong for change of flight.  While they were waiting for their flight to Beijing, China fired its long-range missile into the Pacific Ocean. Because of this, they communicated with Cabinet and got Cabinet approval, to divert to Taiwan and established diplomatic ties with Taiwan. 

This was the strong response of the then founding fathers of Solomon Islands. This was also at a time when the Pacific countries governments and Civil Societies campaigned strongly for a Nuclear Free Pacific. 

With time this campaign has not swayed. In 2023 at the Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting in Cook Islands, Civil Society Organisations in their statement to the PIF Leaders, supported the re-energizing of the Treaty of Rarotonga. 

CSOs see this as the basis of constructive engagement, keeping the Pacific Nuclear Free from existing, emerging, and current nuclear issues. CSOs then note with concern too, the discharge of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water into the Pacific Ocean seeing as one of the greatest threat to our ocean, marine life, livelihoods, security, peace and the wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific, present and future generation thanking the Polynesian Block for their stand on this. 

In their statement Civil Society Organisations, commended PIF leaders for placing high priority on regionalism. Regionalism then was and still is threatened today by democracy backsliding, geo-political competition between Pacific Rim major powers, rising inequalities, increased number of political actors and continued degradation of Pacific environment and natural resources.  Transparency Solomon Islands thanks and applauds Prime Minister Hon. Mathew Wale for maintaining, protecting and speaking up for the region following this unfriendly act.

Back to Solomon Islands following this unfriendly action of China Transparency Solomon Islands reminds Prime Minister Mathew Wale that China has signed a number of agreements (15) with the previous government including the Security Fact Agreement the content of which has yet to be made public. 

The Security Fact Agreement is one that is of importance given the recent behaviour of China firing Ballistic Missile into the Pacific Ocean passing over several Pacific Islands countries Exclusive Economic Zone. 

Despite the promise made by the previous Executive Government amidst public outcry to make the content of the agreement public, to date it remains secretive. Given this conduct of China, Transparency Solomon Islands, urges the GREAT Coalition Executive Government, review these agreements and ensure, the firing of ballistic missile dummy warhead or otherwise, is not allowed.  Transparency Solomon Islands hopes that the GREAT Executive Government to also release this Agreement.  

Transparency Solomon Islands congratulates you Prime Minister Hon. Mathew Wale for your bold and firm message to all our friends that conducting intercontinental ballistic missile testing in the Pacific Islands region is unacceptable and unwanted in the Pacific Islands Region. Being a leader is not about making popular decisions only but making unpopular ones for the greater common good.

PRESS RELEASE