Pat Conroy says Australia is open to collaborating with China on Pacific infrastructure but warned Beijing must lift the quality of its projects and hire more local workers.
in Suva, Conroy said there was a real sensitivity around some of the infrastructure projects delivered in the Pacific being chosen for the cheapest price, delivering poor quality outcomes.
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the USA, addresses the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva as Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong looks on.Chinese diplomats, who were not accredited for the forum, took notes of Harris’ speech at the Grand Pacific Hotel but would not respond to requests for comment.
Conroy said Australia had offered to fly Kiribati’s President Taneti Maamau to Fiji. “If Kiribati wanted to get to the Pacific Island’s meeting, we would be very happy to facilitate that,” he said.
“I think we start by accepting the assurances of the Solomon Islands government that there won’t be a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands,” he said.
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