Islam Times - China Accuses Australia, US, UK of Fomenting An Arms Race

Islam Times - Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom are militarizing the South Pacific region, provoking the start of a new arms race, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a briefing on Wednesday.

"Australia, together with the United States and Great Britain, without any consultation with the island states of the region, from a military bloc and provoke an arms race in the South Pacific region," the diplomat said, RIA Novosti reported.

Earlier, as reported by the Australian TV channel 9News, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasse Sogaware, criticized Australia, which did not inform the South Pacific states about the decision to acquire nuclear submarines in the AUKUS partnership with the United States and Great Britain.

Thus, Sogaware went on the counteroffensive in response to attacks from Australia over the conclusion of a security agreement for the Solomon Islands with China . Australia fears that China will expand its influence in the South Pacific and there will be Chinese military bases. Moreover, no one concealed the anti-Chinese orientation of AUKUS .

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said earlier that China and the Solomon Islands signed a framework agreement on security cooperation. According to Wang, the main goal of security cooperation is to promote social stability and long-term stability in the islands, which is in the common interest of the Solomon Islands and the South Pacific region. He stressed that the cooperation is not directed against any third party.

Earlier , Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said reports that China was building a naval base in the Solomon Islands were false.