Concern expressed by Pacific country about Chinese port agreement

The Prime Minister of Samoa Fiame Naomi Mata'afa has warned that the awarding of a contract to a Chinese state-owned company to redevelop a commercial port in the Solomon Islands' capital, Honiara, may lead to deeper security tensions. The agreement struck between Beijing and Honiara will see the city's international port and two domestic wharves upgraded as part of a $170-million project to be completed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC). The Chinese state-run infrastructure development company has managed various foreign projects since its formation 43 years ago, including in Israel, Nigeria and Colombia. However, the announcement of the deal has come at a time of concern by the United States and its allies about aggressive Chinese military expansionism in the Pacific region. The announcement of the China-Solomon Islands redevelopment deal comes around a year after the two nations signed a security pact, which Australian officials warned could prompt a Chinese military build-up in the archipelago around 1,700 kilometers from Australia's northern coast. In its own response, Canberra said that it "closely monitors developments which might impact our national interest" but stressed that it supports legitimate and transparent developments which "deliver long-term economic benefits." Honiara has maintained its stance of being "a friend to all, enemy to none" after hosting meetings with senior representatives from both Washington and Beijing this week.