Recently, there was an incident in Australia that attracted widespread attention. There are so-called "grapevines" that claim that China is signing a security document with the South Pacific island nation of Solomon Islands, under which Chinese warships may be allowed to deploy up to 2,000 kilometers from the Australian coastline. The news sparked heated discussions in Australian public opinion and led to accusations against China.
The Australian media seem to be implicitly expressing that China plans to establish a military base in the Solomon Islands. Australian Home Minister Karen Andrews has claimed that the South Pacific is "Australia's backyard". This statement is reminiscent of the "robber logic" of the United States and Britain.
Not long ago, Mia Mottley, the first female prime minister of the Caribbean country of Barbados, rejected a BBC question that "the Caribbean is America's backyard". She made it clear that the United States and the Caribbean are the same community and that there is no so-called "backyard relationship." The response was impressive.
Similarly, Australia's claim that Pacific island nations are its "backyard turf" appears to exhibit a colonial mentality. However, Pacific island countries have the right to cooperate with China or Australia, while Australia has no right to interfere.
Solomon Islands has chosen to cooperate with China, and this cooperation is equal and mutually beneficial. Last year, the Solomon Islands suffered riots, and the local Chinese were also affected, and the riots seemed to involve "US-Taiwan collusion" behind the riots. In the context of the escalation, Solomon Islands had to request international support.
At that time, under the signed security agreement, Australia sent military police to maintain order. China has also provided anti-epidemic and explosive materials, and dispatched police advisory teams to support. The Solomon Islands government signed an agreement with China in this context. It can be seen that Solomon Islands chose to cooperate with China voluntarily, and the content of the agreement has been fully explained.
Australia's accusations, therefore, seem unfounded. There may be three reasons for the hype: first, Australia believes that China has touched its own interests; Second, Australia is trying to pander to the United States and take actions to contain China; Finally, Australia is about to hold elections and there is a political imperative. To be clear, China's cooperation with other countries has always been based on the principles of fairness and mutual benefit. The tension in China-Australia relations stems mainly from Australia's own decisions, and it should reflect on itself rather than create chaos around the world following the example of the United States.