China and Solomon Islands Photo: VCG
Since China and the Solomon Islands established diplomatic ties, cooperations on various fields have been deepening and brought true benefits to the two peoples, a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Solomon Islands said in a statement on Wednesday commenting on Australian concerns over a China-Solomons "blue economy" memorandum of understanding (MOU).
China has market, capital and technology edges, and is committed to implementing new development concepts, building a new development pattern, and achieving high-quality development.
The Solomon Islands is rich in agriculture, forestry, fishery and touristic resources. The economies of the two countries are highly complementary and have great potential for cooperation.
As one of the developing countries, China fully understands the Solomon Islands' urgent desire to cope with challenges such as the climate change and their strive to achieve sustainable development. China is willing to share its experience with the Solomon Islands to help the country enhance independent and sustainable development.
China welcomes the Solomon Islands to ride the express train of China's development and to strengthen their cooperation in economic and trade and other fields, joining hands to build a community with a shared future in the Pacific Area, the embassy spokesperson said.
Some people are indifferent to the real challenges and development needs faced by the Solomon Islands and other Pacific island countries, while they're also keen to point fingers at the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Solomon Islands. Their ulterior motives are obvious and I believe the people of the Pacific island countries see this clearly, said the spokesperson.
Australia has been "concerned" over the in-process agreement which reportedly involves investment and infrastructure.
The Solomon Star, a leading daily of the Pacific island country, cited a government statement as saying nothing is sinister nor trivial in the blue economy MOU which is yet to be formalized.
"The underlying objective of the MOU is to tap on potential economic investment opportunities relating to ocean resources," read the statement from the Solomon Islands' Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC).
"The MOU aims at enhancing and regulating foreign investments while protecting national interests and eradicating resource exploitation. The memorandum further aims to ensure that foreign investments are aligned with the government's development aspirations and policies," the OPMC statement outlined.
The OPMC statement highlighted that the beneficiaries of the blue economy MOU will be the Solomon Islanders and anyone who opposes it is an obstacle to the economic development and welfare of the people.
The Solomon Islands government has repeated with emphasis that it stands firm on regional unity, on maintaining with China a relationship characterized by mutual respect for each other's sovereignty, and on exploring development partnerships for the common good of the Pacific family.
