Chinese draft security deal with Solomon Islands didn’t blindside Australia, Morrison says

The Solomon Islands prime minister, Manesseh Sogavare (left), and the Chinese premier, Li Keqiant, in 2019. Of the draft security deal, experts say ‘this sort of document would not come as a surprise [to Australia]’. Photograph: Thomas Peter/AP

Scott Morrison says Australia was not blindsided by a draft security deal between China and Solomon Islands, which experts warn has demonstrated a “black and white” intent at expanding influence in the Pacific.

The draft would allow China to base navy warships in the Pacific less than 2,000km off the Australian coast, but some experts, including the Lowy Institute’s Jonathan Pryke, caution it reads more like a “wishlist” from China than a finalised agreement.