A treaty between Australia and the Solomon Islands is on the cards as the Pacific nation’s new prime minister prepares for talks with Anthony Albanese.
Matthew Wale is in Canberra for his first overseas trip since he was elected by his country’s parliament in May.
Mr Wale has long been an advocate for diplomatically tying his country to Australia, but it’s the Pacific nation’s relationship with China that has drawn attention.
The Solomon Islands and China signed a security pact in 2022, which partially eclipsed the bilateral security arrangement Australia has had with its Pacific neighbour since 2017.
Mr Wale has been critical of the Solomons’ relationship with China, using the 2024 elections to accuse his political opponents of “sleazing up” to Beijing.
He promised to release details of the secretive 2022 security pact if elected, although the information is yet to be made public.
The Solomons and Australia will likely sign an agreement to set aside $190 million for expanding and training the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.
A further deal between the countries is also expected to be discussed, but details have not been released.
Australia has in recent times finalised treaties with Tuvalu, Nauru and Papua New Guinea, while a security pact with Fiji is in the works.
A wide range of topics were likely to be canvassed during the visit, Australian National University Pacific scholar Anouk Ride said.
“Anything substantive, we are going to have to wait a while to see,” she said.
The Solomons is the only Pacific country to sign a security deal with China, so the visit remains significant regardless of diplomatic milestones reached.
“Maybe his early visit here is sending a signal of who he wants to engage with,” Dr Ride said.
“We will have to wait to see how deep that relationship goes and if it supersedes that of other countries.”
Mr Albanese said the decision of Mr Wale to visit Australia as his first destination emphasised the importance of ties between the two nations.