Official China Discussion Thread

"The so-called Chinese military base in Solomon Islands is completely fabricated with disinformation by a few people with ulterior motives," China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a news briefing on Monday.

A draft of the agreement, which was leaked online last month, said Chinese warships could stop in Solomon Islands for logistical replenishment and that China could send police and armed forces there "to assist in maintaining social order".

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has insisted no Chinese military bases would be built in his country.

Mr Wang's comments came after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that China's recent security deal with the South Pacific country was a "shared concern" of regional nations, and Beijing building a military base there was a "red line" for Australia.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton warned last week China would not waste any time expanding its presence in the South Pacific after signing the controversial security pact.

The United States has urged Solomon Islands not to allow a Chinese military base in the country, warning it would "respond accordingly" to any steps in that direction.

Mr Wang announced last Tuesday the agreement had been signed, saying it would involve China cooperating with Honiara on maintaining social order, protecting people's safety, aid, combating natural disasters and helping safeguard national security.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the Coalition had "dropped the ball" on relations with the Pacific nations and he found it "just remarkable" Mr Morrison had not personally called the Solomon Islands Prime Minister.

"I find it incredible that the Foreign Minister or the Defence Minister were not dispatched to the Solomons, even though our intelligence told us that this was on the cards, according to the government itself, for a long period of time," Mr Albanese told Perth radio station 6PR.

"So we want to strengthen those partnerships with a comprehensive package of new programs."

The ABC approached the Prime Minister's office for comment but it did not respond by deadline.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne earlier on Tuesday criticised Labor's Pacific engagement plans for lacking substance.

She also said they only mirrored existing government programs.

Mr Morrison also took aim at the opposition's plan for boosting funding for the ABC in the Pacific, suggesting it would have little impact on key geostrategic contests in the region.

"I don't think that's a true reflection or an understanding of the challenges that we face," he said.

"No Australian government has stood up more firmly to the Chinese government's coercion of our region, and Australia and our government will keep doing that."

Mr Wang on Monday also slammed AUKUS, a trilateral security pact between Australia, the US and UK, as a "backroom deal" and urged the three nations to seek regional countries' approval of the agreement.

"I note that the US and Australia have accused the framework agreement of China-Solomon Islands security cooperation of lacking transparency, but the trilateral security partnership between the US, UK and Australia (AUKUS) is precisely a backroom deal that is not open or transparent," he said.

"We are wondering when the US, UK and Australia will submit this partnership to regional countries, including the South Pacific Island states, for consideration?"

The Biden administration is weighing whether to add the maker of cameras and surveillance systems to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, according to people familiar with the situation. The sanctions would be related to alleged human-rights violations by China against Muslim minorities in its far-Western region of Xinjiang. A final decision is unlikely this month, said one of the people, who declined to be identified as a decision isn’t finalized.

Hikvision’s stock fell as low as 38.24 yuan a share in Shenzhen after the holiday break.

Hikvision was already blacklisted by the U.S. in 2019 along with seven other Chinese technology giants, making it more difficult for it to do business with American companies. But the more severe sanctions under consideration would not just bar Americans from doing business with the company but also make its global customers potential targets of U.S. action.

The Financial Times earlier reported on the U.S. deliberations. Hikvision said in a statement Wednesday it will comply with applicable laws wherever it operates.

“The potential action by the U.S. government, as reported, remains to be verified,” it said. “We think any such sanction should be based on credible evidence and due process, and look forward to being treated fairly and unbiasedly.”

A representative for the U.S. National Security Council said it does not preview future sanctions.

Hikvision found itself in the cross-hairs of the Trump administration in 2019 after it joined other Chinese companies — including Huawei Technologies Co. — on an Entity List that prevents American firms from supplying it with components and software.

The fresh, tougher sanctions would take the Biden administration’s economic war against China in a new direction: it would be the first time a Chinese technology company has been added on the SDN list. It deals a potentially heavy long-term blow against Hikvision, as companies and governments around the world would be forced to reconsider their relationship with the camera provider.

Hikvision, whose cameras are used by agencies and corporations across Europe and Asia, is among the companies Beijing is counting on to spearhead advances into artificial intelligence. The company doesn’t play a major a role in those ambitions but it’s a key partner to Beijing as well as other governments. Its cameras have been used in cities from Paris to Bangkok, and are considered pivotal to crime prevention as well as helping build “smart cities” or networked urban environments.

Thanks to cheap but capable cameras, the Chinese company has enjoyed rapid growth in recent years. Demand for its surveillance cameras, video storage and data analysis services has boomed particularly in its home market. Overseas, the company competes against Canon, Hanwha Techwin and Bosch.