[Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare addresses the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York on Sep 23, 2016. (File photo by=Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)]

SYDNEY: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said that the backlash to his country's security negotiations with China was "very insulting", in his first comments on a proposed security treaty he said was being finalized. Sogavare told his parliament on Tuesday (Mar 29) that a leaked security document with China was a draft and he would not give details on the content of any proposed deal, Reuters reported.
 
"We are not pressured in any way by our new friends and there is no intention whatsoever to ask China to build a military base in the Solomon Islands," he said. The islands switched diplomatic allegiance to mainland China from Taiwan in 2019. Australia, New Zealand, and the United States have expressed concern about the potential for a security pact between the Pacific Island and China after a leaked draft showed it would cover Chinese navy vessels. In a speech to parliament, Sogavare expressed criticism of larger countries who he said didn't care if Pacific islands went underwater because of climate change and considered the region "the backyard of big Western powers".
 
He also denied opposition claims that a security pact with China would lead to an autocratic government. The opposition has accused Sogavare of using a new police pact with China, and striking a security deal, to prop up his leadership.