Updated ,first published
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will seek to capitalise on the election of a new Australia-friendly Solomon Islands leader by launching talks on a new treaty agreement and reviving a stalled policing deal aimed at curtailing China’s influence in the strategically crucial nation.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale was scheduled to arrive in Australia on Monday afternoon for a three-day visit, his first overseas trip since he was elected by the Solomons’ parliament last month.
Australian officials were delighted by Wale’s victory because of his track record as a champion of close ties with Australia and a critic of deepening security ties between the Solomons and China.
Sources familiar with the planning for the visit said Albanese and Wale planned to announce an elevation of the Australia-Solomons relationship, including starting negotiations on a new “comprehensive treaty” agreement between the two nations.
Australia and the Solomons have had a bilateral security agreement in place since 2017, but officials believe there is scope for a more ambitious and significant pact following Wale’s election.
Albanese and Wale are also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding to implement a $190 million Australian funding package to expand and train the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.
The deal, which also included funding for a new police training centre in the capital Honiara, was struck in December 2024, but little progress has been made on implementation in the following 18 months.
A new treaty with the Solomons would add to agreements the Albanese government has struck with Tuvalu, Nauru and Papua New Guinea to cement Australia as the security partner of choice in the Pacific.
The government is also working to finalise a new security agreement with Fiji and a treaty with Vanuatu known as the Nakamal Agreement.
James Batley, a former Australian high commissioner to the Solomon Islands, said it was a “positive sign” that Wale was visiting Australia so soon after being elected.
“He’s a man in a hurry,” Batley said.
“The Australian government will be looking for openings to create a deeper strategic relationship and reassurance that the Solomons will not deepen security ties with China.”
During the 2024 elections, Wale accused his political opponents of “sleazing up to Beijing, trying to kiss their feet” and vowed to release the details of a secretive 2022 security pact his predecessor, Manasseh Sogavare, signed with China.
Lowy Institute research fellow Connor Graham said resurrecting the stalled 2024 policing agreement would be welcomed as a sign that “the Solomons is moving in Australia’s direction”.
Albanese said in a statement: “Prime Minister Wale’s decision to make Australia his first official international visit emphasises the importance of the relationship between our nations.
“Despite the global challenges we confront, we recognise we are stronger facing these together as partners.”
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Matthew Knott is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X, Facebook or email.