New Zealand said on Monday it would send defense personnel, helicopters and a navy ship to the Solomon Islands to help with national elections next month in which relations with China will be a key issue.
The deployment is part of a $6.48 million support package for the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission announced in January that will help transport election officials and supplies across the Pacific island nation.
The ship HMNZS Canterbury will leave Auckland on Tuesday, transporting two helicopters and crew, as well as command and maintenance personnel to the Solomon Islands capital Honiara, New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
“New Zealand’s overall contribution will support the commission in leading a safe and successful election,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
“This demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to resilient democracy in Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific region.”
Solomon Islands is a key ally of China and has drawn closer to Beijing since the election of Manasseh Sogavare as prime minister in 2019, alarming the United States and Australia and triggering a scramble for control of the strategically located island. The race for influence in the Pacific Islands.
However, at least one opposition politician called for a review of the security agreement with China and said it would seek to reestablish diplomatic ties with Taiwan, according to media reports. Another politician said he would ask people to decide Solomon Islands’ relationship with China through a referendum.
The country said in September that an Australian police unit deployed for the first time in 2021 would remain in the country until after the election.
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