Jacinda Ardern denounces Solomon defence pact with China, but says she can't just 'drop a WhatsApp' to Xi Jinping

Jacinda Ardern denounces Solomon defence pact with China, but says she can’t just ‘drop a WhatsApp’ to Xi Jinping Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand is concerned a new defence pact between China and the Solomon Islands will lead to an increasing militarisation of the Pacific. But she said she had not yet raised the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping directly. China said it had signed the defence agreement with the Solomon Islands on Tuesday. New Zealand, Australia, and the US have all expressed serious concern about the pact, as the Pacific has generally been a region that…