China said it held a video meeting to discuss police cooperation with a group of Pacific island nations on Tuesday, however at least two nations told Reuters their ministers and police commissioners had been unavailable to attend.
China’s attempt to strike a security and trade deal with 10 Pacific island nations in May fuelled concern in Washington and Canberra about Beijing’s military ambitions in the region, and prompted a boost in western aid.
Those concerns were first sparked when Solomon Islands struck a security pact with China in April.
Chinese state media reported on Wednesday that China’s minister for public security, Wang Xiaohong, had held what it called the first minister-level dialogue on police cooperation with some south Pacific countries.
The video meeting – co-chaired by Solomon Islands’ minister of police, Anthony Veke – took place after two powerful earthquakes struck Solomon Islands on Tuesday.
Last month, a delegation of more than 30 Solomon Islands police officers travelled to China to undergo training for the first time, in a sign of deepening ties between the two countries.
A photograph posted to the Twitter account of the Chinese embassy in Fiji showed Veke as the only government minister from a Pacific island country at the video meeting.
The 1st Ministerial Dialogue on Police Capacity Building and Cooperation btw China & PICs was successfully held today. China commits to deepen law enforcement cooperation with the PICs for the benefits of the region. @FijiPM @fiji_force pic.twitter.com/1L3i2A6Hyl
— Chinese Embassy in Fiji (@ChineseEmb_FJ) November 22, 2022
