MACAU DAILY TIMES 澳門每日時報 » Former Australian envoy says Sydney’s lost Pacific trust


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A former Australian envoy to the Solomons Islands has accused Australia’s government of losing the trust of South Pacific island countries and of ushering in greater Chinese influence. Retired career diplomat Trevor Sofield told a security summit yesterday he found it “inconceivable” that the Solomons government did not trust Australia enough to consult when a bilateral security pact with Beijing was first considered. “That would not have happened a few years ago,” said Sofield, who was Australian high commissioner to the Solomons from 1982 to 1985. The pact, which was concluded last month, has been a major issue ahead of...