anti-riot training and equipment, catching Australian officials off guard, and causing anxiety in Canberra. Accordingly, this week, a team of police officers from China began their work in the Pacific islands, hoping to restore law and order in the country. The People’s Republic of China Public Security Bureau’s Solomon Islands Policing Advisory Group, consisting of about nine Chinese police officers, are set to train local law enforcement officials to improve their “anti-riot capabilities”.
According to the Chinese Embassy in Honiara, Beijing will work with the new unit to “continuously strengthen communication with the police, steadily promote the training and assistance to the police under the epidemic situation and further deepen bilateral police cooperation”. It added that the group would also cooperate with the embassy to conduct safety training for overseas Chinese and Chinese-funded enterprises in order to protect “the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and overseas Chinese”.
According to sources, officials in Australia are closely watching the deployment of the Chinese Advisory Group, with some of them expressing concern that this could pave the way for military cooperation between the two countries.
