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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Australia defends handling of China-Solomons deal; makes tax pledge ahead of polls

FILE PHOTO: Children fish at a beach in central Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, on September 14, 2012.. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz/File Photo

Australia's government on Sunday defended its response to China's courtship of nearby Solomon Islands which culminated in a security pact, ahead of a general election next month where it had hoped to highlight its national security credentials.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton in a television interview attributed China's success to an uneven playing field involving tactics with which no Australian government could compete.

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