Australia’s shadow foreign minister Penny Wong addresses the media in Darwin, Australia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Australia’s opposition party promises to establish a Pacific defense school to train troops neighboring teams to counter China’s potential military presence in the Solomon Islands.
George Fragopoulos / AP
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George Fragopoulos / AP
Australia’s shadow foreign minister Penny Wong addresses the media in Darwin, Australia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Australia’s opposition party promises to create a Pacific defense school to train troops neighbors in response to China’s potential military presence in the Solomon Islands.
George Fragopoulos / AP
CANBERRA, Australia – Australia’s opposition party on Tuesday promised to set up a defense school in the Pacific to train neighboring militaries to counter China’s potential military presence in the Solomon Islands. .
The school is among a series of measures the centre-left Labor Party has promised to boost Australia’s participation in their region if the opposition wins the May 21 election.
Labor has criticized Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative government over a security pact announced last week between China and the Solomon Islands.
Australia and the United States fear the deal could lead to a Chinese naval presence less than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off Australia’s northeast coast.
There are also concerns that other Pacific island nations weakened financially by the pandemic and its impact on tourism could be drawn into similar deals by China.
Labor foreign affairs spokesman Penny Wong said Australia needed to restore its status as the partner of choice in the Pacific region.
“Let’s be clear, the prospect of a Chinese base less than 2,000 kilometers off Australia’s coast would be significantly detrimental to Australia’s security interests,” Wong said. “That happened on Mr. Morrison’s watch.”
The Australia-Pacific Defense School will strengthen institutional links between the Australian Defense Force and partners in the region while supporting the needs of the region, a policy statement said.
Opposition Defense spokesman Brendan O’Connor said Australia currently only provides some training to military officers from neighboring countries and does not train lower ranks.
O’Connor said: “In recent years, this government has become derelict when it comes to its relationship with … the Pacific island nations.
Morrison tied for the government record during his nine years in office, saying Australia provided the Pacific with A$1.8 billion ($1.3 billion) in aid each year.
Australia is the only country in the world with diplomatic missions in each of the countries that make up the Pacific Islands Forum and supplies every country with naval patrol boats.
The Labor Government will double funding for Australia’s aerial surveillance of neighboring waters to reduce illegal fishing and support funding of energy infrastructure projects. clean quantity.
“What they are effectively saying is that they will continue to do what we have been doing,” said Morrison, referring to Labor Pacific’s proposals.
Labor also promised to spend an additional A$525 million ($379 million) over four years in aid to Pacific countries plus East Timor.
The state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corporation will be funded to bring more Australian TV, radio and media content online to a wider Pacific audience. Partnerships will be built with Pacific broadcasters to bring Australia’s voice, values and identity to the region against Chinese television and radio.
The changes to Australian visas will also make it easier for Pacific Islanders to work and settle in Australia.
Australia is the main security partner of the Solomon Islands and the largest foreign aid donor. Labor has described China’s security pact with the island nation as Australia’s biggest policy failure in the Pacific since World War II.
The administration of President Joe Biden has warned that the United States will take unspecified action against the Solomon Islands if the China pact poses a threat to US or allied interests.
