“We wanted to make completely clear that from the perspective of Australia, we stood ready for that support to be provided for as long as possible.”
The peacekeeping force – which also includes police and military from New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea – was activated after Mr Sogavare called for assistance under the bilateral security treaty with Australia in Honiara.
Riots had broken out in Honiara following initial peaceful protests against Mr Sogavare’s decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. Honiara’s Chinatown was targeted in the unrest with Chinese businesses and a police station among the buildings burnt down.
Despite the deployment of the Australian military and police to help Mr Sogavare maintain his grip on the power, he secretly negotiated a security agreement with Beijing, with news of the pact damaging the Morrison government when it emerged on the eve of the 2022 federal election.
Mr Sogavare justified the Chinese deal by claiming Australian forces had failed to protect Chinese-funded infrastructure but failed to offer proof of such inaction.
The Chinese agreement has seen Beijing send police to train Solomon Islands officers, as well as provide replica rifles for training, water cannons and motorbikes. It also allows Chinese warships to stop over to resupply although Mr Sogavare insists he will not allow a permanent Chinese military presence.
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Under its treaty, Australia has also provided guns to Solomon Islands police.
A statement issued by Mr Sogavare’s office following his meeting with Mr Marles on Wednesday said he called for a review of the “current security treaty between the two countries to take into account the changing security challenges faced by both countries”.
Mr Marles said Mr Sogavare did not outline changes he wanted to the treaty but Australia was “excited” by the review.
“The bilateral treaty that we have between our two countries is now a number of years old,” Mr Marles said.
“It really does need to be reviewed to take into account the contemporary security environment and the contemporary assistance that is being provided by Australia in support of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force. When the bilateral treaty was first signed SIAF didn’t exist.”
The Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands research fellow Mihai Sora, a former Australian diplomat posted to Honiara, said since signing its agreement last year, “China has become an increasingly active security partner through the support they are providing to the police force”.
“That would be the concern of the Australian government, that we are seeing China push into that security co-operation space, potentially at the expense of the relationship Australia has been establishing in police support in Solomon Islands over the last decade,” he said.
“Australia’s position would be looking to shore up its role as the security partner of choice.”
Australian personnel were deployed as peacekeepers to Solomon Islands between 2003 and 2017 for the RAMSI operation.

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.