New Zealand is developing its own maritime security “work plans” with Solomon Islands, its defence minister has said, months after news of China’s defence pact with the Pacific nation emerged.
New Zealand minister Peeni Henare said in an interview with Newsroom published on Tuesday that the two countries had begun discussions of a work plan, focused on maritime security, after his meeting with Solomon Islands’ national security minister, Anthony Veke, over the weekend.
“I won’t go into the details of the work plan but it’s a positive sign, and they’ve got a job to do now to follow up with that particular piece of work,” he said. Henare said maritime security was a top priority for his Solomon Islands counterpart. “That’s what was the number one theme in our conversation, so I said, ‘OK, how do we help?’, and that was the creation of the work plan I just described.”
The agreement, while described by Henare as a “small work plan”, is another signal of intensifying security interests in the Pacific arena. Following China’s pact with Solomon Islands in March and the news Beijing was seeking a regional security agreement with 10 other countries, other allies – particularly the US and Australia – have stepped up diplomatic efforts in the area.
In early June, foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta told the Guardian that New Zealand’s foreign policy remained essentially unchanged despite the “more assertive agenda from [China] towards the Pacific,” she said. New Zealand, she said, does “not need to be reactive to any other agenda from any other country”.
New Zealand already has longstanding agreements in the Pacific, including the Biketawa declaration, which coordinates regional responses to security crises and natural disasters.
Henare, who was attending the Shangri-La Dialogue – an Asia security summit – also spoke to the Chinese defence minister, Wei Fenghe, who raised concerns about New Zealand being drawn closer to the stance of the United States and Australia, Newsroom reported.
Henare said: “I made it clear that the only way we could continue to have good discussions, meaningful discussions was if there was trust and transparency and openness. I said, ‘My door’s always open to talk’, because it’s important they hear our point of view and, where I can, convey some of the messages and feedback I get from our Pacific island family.”
The Solomon Islands prime minister’s office and Henare’s office have been asked for comment.