【By Observer News, Xiong Chaoran】Last December, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a joint statement saying that Australia would provide funding to "enhance the size and capabilities of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) over the next four years" and help it "build sustainable sovereign security capabilities."
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on November 25 that nearly a year after the high-profile announcement, the 190 million Australian dollar plan aimed at expanding the Solomon Islands police force has made little progress.
Although Sogavare had previously stated that he hoped to double or even triple the size of the RSIPF, there is still debate within Solomon Islands about how to use this money. Additionally, the two countries have not yet signed an agreement to implement this aid plan.
As early as March, Sogavare said that due to "a couple of differences," the memorandum of understanding had not been signed. Last week, in an interview with ABC, he revealed that the two countries still "had not" finalized the agreement. "Prime Minister Albanese did indeed announce the provision of 190 million Australian dollars in aid over four years," he said: "But we are currently unable to sign the agreement."
Sogavare hinted that the delay was due to ongoing negotiations on the "language" in the agreement. He did not reveal more details, only stating that although both sides could still "re-examine" the agreement, the timeline for reaching an agreement remained uncertain.
Photo of Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
According to reports, when Albanese and Sogavare issued their joint statement earlier, they mentioned that Australia would provide funding, training, and infrastructure support to develop the RSIPF in a sustainable manner, including establishing a new "sovereign police training center" in Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands.
This major agreement was once described by an analyst as a "Christmas gift" for Solomon Islands, but now it is progressing slowly.
In June, Australian Minister for Pacific Affairs Pat Conroy said that discussions were ongoing within Solomon Islands about whether to prioritize increasing the number of police officers or investing in police training centers and infrastructure in outlying islands, but he expected the issue to be "resolved soon."
About the same time, Sogavare said that after launching a new national security strategy, Solomon Islands needed "more time to assess the needs of policing, including capacity and scale." "This will take a long time, and over four years, the cost may far exceed 190 million Australian dollars," he said during a press conference in Honiara: "So, this is the reason for the delay, because we need to be well prepared."
In September, Sogavare and Albanese met in Honiara at a meeting of leaders of small island states in the Pacific and announced the initiation of the design work for the Australian-funded "police college."
Sogavare said that the government might proceed with the Australian-funded projects, such as the "police college," even without signing the agreement. He said officials were studying "whether to move the entire agreement forward or handle each part of the agreement separately by project."
However, it is still unclear when the construction of the "police college" building will begin, and there is no evidence that the RSIPF has started to significantly expand its personnel.
According to reports, a spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia stated in a statement that Australia "is committed" to supporting Solomon Islands' "changing" security priorities.
"The expansion of the RSIPF is led and owned by Solomon Islands, and the priorities, timeframes, and progress milestones are set by Solomon Islands," the spokesperson said.
The ABC report mentioned that police assistance has always been a "sensitive topic" between Solomon Islands and Australia.
Although the Honiara side has never publicly accused Canberra, some Solomon Islands officials privately accused Australia of trying to undermine China's police training program in the country through the memorandum of understanding.
On November 4, 2022, a handover ceremony for Chinese-assisted police vehicles was held at the headquarters of the Solomon Islands police force. China's embassy website in Solomon Islands
In July 2023, then-Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare made an official visit to China, during which a series of agreements were signed, including an extended police cooperation agreement valid until 2025. This police cooperation agreement will cover areas such as drone training, cybersecurity, community policing, and the provision of vehicles and equipment.
However, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and even the opposition in Solomon Islands have expressed "concern" about this police cooperation agreement, "worried that it could trigger further regional disputes," and urged China and Solomon Islands to disclose more details to ease concerns.
Responding to this, the Solomon Islands government stated that these critics should "respect our sovereignty and autonomous decision-making power." The prime minister's spokesperson also said, "We do not think this poses a threat to the Pacific region," and that this police cooperation agreement would fill the security gaps exposed by the anti-government violent riots in November 2021.
Previously, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had emphasized that for a long time, China has provided a large amount of aid to Pacific Island countries based on the wishes and needs of the local governments and people, and the fact has proven that Chinese aid has greatly promoted the economic and social development of these countries, bringing real benefits to the local people, who have warmly welcomed it. Whether Chinese aid is effective in the local area, the people and governments of the relevant countries have the final say.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson also stated that the police cooperation agreement between China and Solomon Islands complies with relevant international laws and practices. Police law enforcement cooperation is an important part of Sino-Solomon Islands cooperation, which has played an active role in promoting the security and stability of Solomon Islands. China firmly supports Solomon Islands in achieving long-term peace and stability and will continue to provide support and assistance according to the wishes and needs of Solomon Islands.
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