A leading security expert has questioned the Solomon Islands Prime Minister’s latest claim that Australia remains the country’s top security partner over China.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare would not be able to withstand any pressure from Beijing, according to Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).
“I don’t think Sogavare’s going to have the ability to resist any pressure from China because he’s dependent on Chinese money to stay in power,” Davis told AAP in Canberra on Oct. 10.
“They came in with suitcases of money to ensure that he and the people around him would support an extension of his position, his role as prime minister.”…