Japan dispatched a vice foreign minister to the Solomon Islands on Monday following the official signing of a security deal between the small Pacific nation and China, which Tokyo feared would undermine regional stability.
Vice foreign minister Kentaro Uesugi was tasked with relaying Tokyo’s reservations about the agreement and discussing bilateral matters with the Solomons leadership during his three-day trip, local news agency Japan Today reported.
“We believe the deal could affect the security of the entire Asia-Pacific region, and we are watching the development with concern,” foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on April 22.
The move comes on the heels of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s remarks on Sunday that a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands will represent a “red line” for Australia, calling the Solomon Islands-China security pact a “shared concern” among governments.
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