Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has taken a swipe at the United States, saying the country needs to show “more respect to Pacific leaders”.
Speaking in the capital Honiara on Wednesday after delivering a speech to the United Nations in New York over the weekend, Mr Sogavare said the US “lecture you and lecture you” about “how good they are” and suggested the Pacific Leaders’ Summit — held in Washington this week — needs a re-think.
Mr Sogavare has been raising anxieties in Canberra and Washington over his continued lean towards China, and this week raised them further after declining President Joe Biden’s invitation to attend this week’s Pacific Leaders’ Summit.
He was the only Pacific leader to decline, apart from Vanuatu’s new Prime Minster Sato Kilman who remained in Port Vila to navigate a brewing political crisis.
In Wednesday’s press conference Mr Sogavare, who sent his foreign secretary to the summit in his place, initially continued his line that he had to “return early” for “domestic issues”.
But after a question on what “domestic issues” meant, he said being back in Honiara to prepare for next week’s sitting of parliament was more important than the US summit.
“I attended one [Pacific Leaders Summit] last year, nothing came up out of this meeting,” he said.
“I’m not going to sit down there and listen to people lecture me, no way.
“They promised us $800 billion or something like that and at the time I was impressed, but we come to today and nothing’s happened.”
At the time the US said it was “disappointed” by the absence of Solomon Islands’ leader and this week promised nearly $US200 million ($311 million) for new projects and activities in the Pacific, including undersea cables to improve internet connectivity in the region.
Leaders met with President Biden on Monday and on Tuesday met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for a roundtable focused on climate change.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/PvyFxD4PAeY?feature=oembedYOUTUBEThe US ambassador to Australia says Washington is ready to provide “hundreds of millions” of dollars to Solomon Islands.
Comments intended as ‘positive feedback’
In his speech at the UN on Saturday, Mr Sogavare praised China’s development role in his country and its Belt and Road initiative.
As well as inking a controversial security pact, China has been pouring money into the country and has funded a new national stadium and infrastructure developments for the upcoming Pacific Games to be held in November.
Speaking in Honiara on Wednesday, he also outlined how China had made “transformative changes” to the country though its “less restrictive, more responsive alignment with its sustainable development goals”.
“These initiatives have assisted us,” he said.
“I’m not saying this [at the UN] to offend any of our development partners, I was making a point of how fast projects are being implemented under our partnership with the People’s Republic of China.
“If I offend any of our development partners that is not my intention.
“I thought my comments would be taken as ‘positive feedback’ to improve how they can collaborate more effectively.”
Chinse navy on ‘goodwill’ visit to PNG
In Papua New Guinea, Chinese naval officers are holding court with training ship Qi Jiguang and hundreds of its personnel in Port Moresby for a “goodwill” visit.
Chinese officers said they will be meeting with their PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) counterparts.
On Wednesday, a group of naval personnel paid a visit to a school in one of PNGDF’s barracks to hand out caps and backpacks.
Lowy Institute analyst Mihai Sora said while the timing of the ship’s visit could be completely coincidental to the summit in Washington this week, it may be an attempt by Beijing to remind PNG of the alternative it offers.
“China’s ship visit might be a not so subtle way of signalling China’s continuous presence and interest in the Pacific region,” he said.
“The timing could be seen as a move by China to counteract or dilute the impact of the US Pacific Summit.
Source : ABC News
