Solomon Islands says its security agreement with China will remain secret while the government reviews its contents. Prime Minister Matthew Wale, speaking in Australia, says he has not previously seen the final text and that he received or reviewed it only shortly before his visit. Wale says his Cabinet will examine the agreement after taking office.
ABC Australia reports that Wale argues the document cannot legally be made public, citing a clause from the 2022 agreement when the previous government signed binding commitments to China. According to that account, Solomon Islands says it is legally impossible to publish the final document because those commitments were entered into at the time of signing.
The Hindu similarly reports Wale’s position that the pact will remain undisclosed and frames it as part of a review process. Across the two reports, the common elements are that the pact with China is not being released, Wale says he is assessing the deal, and legal constraints linked to the 2022 signing are central to the decision to keep it confidential.
