A former Australian high commissioner to Solomon Islands says the involvement of Chinese officials in training local police is setting off alarm bells in Canberra.
The move from Beijing follows last year’s violent riots which targeted Chinese-owned businesses in the capital, Honiara.
James Batley, who led the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) and now a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Australian National University said the Canberra is watching development closely.
“For a very long time, Australia has been a major, perhaps the major security partner for Solomon Islands and that’s going back into the 1980s, 1990s.”
Mr Batley said China is a new player giving assistance but it’s very small scale at this stage, with only a handful of personnel.
He said Australia will be watching since China has a different tradition on policing.
– ABC Radio Australia
