Australia's defence minister is due to meet the leader of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, on Wednesday to discuss security, officials said, on a two-day visit that comes as China takes a bigger role in the Pacific nation's police force. Richard Marles, on his first visit to the Solomon Islands as defence minister, was also expected to meet members of the Solomon Islands International Assistance Force, which includes Australian police deployed in 2021 at Sogavare's request to quell anti-government riots.
Australia is a major aid donor and has a decades-long security relationship with the Solomon Islands. China has recently stepped up its funding for infrastructure and last year Sogavare signed a security pact with China, prompting concern in Canberra and Washington about Beijing s naval ambitions in the strategically located region. Chinese police have taken an increasing role in training and equipping the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force in recent months, the force has indicated in statements.
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