The Solomon Islands government has denied Australia's High Commissioner was "summoned" over a report by the ABC's Four Corners program about the extent of Chinese influence and control in the Pacific nation, instead calling the meeting a "neighbourly discussion".
"With the deep and broad cooperation Solomon Islands has with Australia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a 'neighbourly discussion' with the Australian High Commission on ABC's Four Corners Program on Solomon Islands and discussed other issues," the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Four Corners report on August 1 revealed that a Chinese state-owned company was in talks to buy a plantation on the island of Kolombangara, which features a deep-water port and an airstrip.
The report came amid growing concerns in the region over the signing of a security pact between Solomon Islands and China.
High Commissioner Lachlan Strahan was later called in and warned such reports by Australian media could damage ties between the two countries.
In the statement, the Sogavare government accused the ABC of spreading "misinformation" and "pre-conceived prejudicial information".
The government said no decision had been made to sell the Kolombangara plantation and called the report a "baseless allegation".
The government also accused the ABC of "racial profiling" that was "bordering [on] racism and race stereotyping".
Four Corners stands by its investigation
A statement from the ABC rejected the accusations and said the broadcaster "stands by the accuracy and integrity of the reporting in this program".
The program did not report that a decision had been made to sell the plantation to a Chinese firm.
Rather, it reported that the issue had been discussed at board level and that the Australian directors were so concerned they twice wrote to the federal government.
They expressed concerns that the purchase could be used by Beijing to establish a base under the cover of a commercial enterprise.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong's office confirmed to the ABC the government was aware of the issue and her office had not ruled out intervening.
The ABC also rejected the "offensive notion" that the report was "racial profiling".
"In fact, we were determined to tell the story from the perspective of Solomon Islanders and the program reflected their concerns," the statement said.
"Its main interviews were with two eminent Solomon Islanders, rather than relying on 'foreign experts' as is often the case."
