Australia anxious to show it didn’t ‘drop the ball’ on Pacific after China and Solomon Islands deal

Though there was an understanding of Beijing’s interest in deeper ties with Solomon Islands, it’s clear the leaked agreement took Canberra by surprise. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

As China makes progress on a security deal with Solomon Islands, the Australian government is anxious not to be seen to have “dropped the ball” in the Pacific region. That would be a tad embarrassing, given it has spent the past few years sounding the alarm about security threats from China while also trumpeting its own “Pacific Step-Up”.

The deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, has been one of the ministers on the defensive after leaked documents revealed the draft agreement between China and the Pacific island nation.