Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared he is "very confident" Solomon Islands won't allow China to establish a military base in the country, after meeting with its Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
Mr Albanese had his first face-to-face meeting with Mr Sogavare yesterday afternoon and sat next to him at a dinner with Pacific leaders in Suva last night at the Pacific Islands Forum.
Australian officials are worried that a security pact signed by Solomon Islands and China could allow Beijing to establish a military presence in the future.
But when asked about that prospect, Mr Albanese said he was "very confident that won't happen".
He also said he'd started to build up a relationship with Mr Sogavare.
"I sat with him at dinner last night. One of the things we need to do is build personal relations between Australia and our friends in the Pacific," he told Channel Nine.
"To make sure that our interests, but also their interests, are protected.
"We need to be prepared to listen to what they have to say, be prepared to assist in their development. But also be prepared to advocate, as my government is, action on issues of concern to them."
Separately, Mr Sogavare — who has rejected multiple requests for interviews from the ABC and other media outlets — also gave an interview to Guardian Australia while in Suva.
The Prime Minister — who has accused media outlets of peddling misinformation about his country — said he had no intention of allowing any country to establish a military base in his country, because it may make it a target.
"The moment we establish a foreign military base, we immediately become an enemy. And we also put our country and our people as targets for potential military strikes," he said.
Mr Sogavare told the Guardian that Australia remains the "partner of choice" for Solomon Islands and that his government would "call on them first" if facing security woes in the future.
Australia sent troops and police to Solomon Islands in November last year to quell riots that broke out in the capital, Honiara.
But Mr Sogavare later lashed out at Australia, alleging that officials told him the police wouldn't be willing to protect Chinese infrastructure projects in Honiara. Australian officials are adamant that claim is false.
Mr Sogavare told the Guardian that his government could still ask China for security assistance in the future if there was a "gap" in support.
"If there is any gap, we will not allow our country to go down the drain. If there is a gap, we will call on support from China," he said.
"But we've made it very clear to the Australians, and many times when we have this conversation with them, that they are a partner of choice. When it comes to security issues in the region, we will call on them first."
