(Bloomberg) -- Australia’s new prime minister Anthony Albanese has warned that China’s government is planning to make its security pact with the Solomon Islands the “first of many,” as both Canberra and Beijing send their top diplomats to the Pacific to shore up support in the region.
China’s State Councilor Wang Yi touched down in the Solomon Islands late on Wednesday night for meetings with the country’s leadership, the start of a rare eight-day visit by the Chinese diplomat to the Pacific region. Between May 26 and June 4, Wang is due to visit multiple Pacific nations including Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who was only sworn into her position on Monday, announced a last-minute visit to Fiji on Wednesday. She will meet with the country’s prime minister as well as the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Henry Puna.
The dueling visits come as media outlets reported China was seeking to strike security and economic agreements with about 10 Pacific nations, dramatically expanding Beijing’s cooperation with the region. The Chinese government had a major diplomatic victory in April when it announced a security agreement had been signed with the Solomon Islands, sending political shock waves through Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking on Australian television on Thursday, Albanese said the deal with the Solomon Islands was only the start of the Chinese government’s ambitions for the Pacific. “We know that China sees that as the first of many which is the context of their foreign minister’s visit to the region,” he said.
Albanese wants to strengthen relations with the Pacific by increasing foreign aid funding and infrastructure support. He has also pledged more action on climate change, a topic on which Pacific leaders were critical of his predecessor Scott Morrison.
The Australian leader said the former government had “dropped the ball” in its engagement with the Pacific. “We can’t afford to do that. We need to reengage with the region” he said. “They are sovereign nations, of course. And we need to respect that. But we need to be offering more support.”
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