China's security deal with Solomon Islands rings alarm bells

TIT-FOR-TAT: A Solomons ex-PM has evoked Pine Gap secrecy in defending the China pact. Picture: Nautilus Institute

CONFIRMATION of a security pact between China and the Solomon Islands represents a significant shift in regional security that will inevitably be read as Australia having taken its eye off the ball at a time when China's Pacific intentions were obvious to all.

In 1999, the Solomon Islands, three hours flight from our shores, announced a state of emergency.