BY NED GAGAHE
A total of 13 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed between the Solomon Islands and the People’s Republic of China during Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele’s official visit to China in July.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Peter Shanel Agovaka, confirmed this in Parliament, last week responding to questions from Opposition Leader Matthew Wale regarding the specifics and public accessibility of the agreements.
Minister Agovaka emphasized the importance of these MOUs for the Solomon Islands, stating, “We signed about 13 MOUs.” The agreements cover a range of sectors, including:
- Education: Minister for Education signed the MOU for the provision of 30 scholarship funded by PRC each year.
- Economic Development: Cooperation in economic exchanges
- MOU on Trade: Between Ministry of Commerce PRC and MFAET.
- Aviation partnership: Between Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and Solomon Islands Ministry of Communication and Aviation (MCA).
- Media Cooperation: between Xinhua News of the People’s Republic of China and the Government Communication Unit (GCU), OPMC.
- Media Cooperation with SIBC: between China Media Corps groups and SIBC.
- Sub-State MOUs: Shandong and Isabel Provinces, Fujian Province and Western Province and Guangdong and Guadalcanal provinces.
- Aquatic Products: Protocols on inspections, quarantine and sanitary requirements for wild aquatic products to be exported from Solomon Islands to China. Between the General Administration of Customs of PRC and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services of Solomon Islands.
- Protocol for wild aquatic products: Protocol, inspection, quarantine and sanitary requirements for cultured aquatics (e.g. seaweeds, tilapia, sea cucumber) products to be exported from Solomon Islands to PRC China, between the General Administration of Customs of PRC and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services of Solomon Islands.
- Protocol for cultured aquatic products: MOU on the protocol on sanitary requirements for the export of unroasted coffee, beans and cocoa beans from Solomon Islands to PRC China. Signed between General Administration of Customs of PRC China and Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL).
- MOU on Development Cooperation Plan: between the Government of the PRC China and Solomon Islands Government on synergizing the Belt and Road Initiative and the 2016-2035 Development Strategy of Solomon Islands.
- Agreement on Economic Cooperation: Between PRC China and SIG.
- MOU on China Pacific Regional Centre in Fujian Province: The first China Pacific Regional Center is the China Pacific Police Centre. This is where RSIPF went to train and so far, more than 100 officers have been trained.
Minister Agovaka stated that the signed MOUs will not be made available to the public or Parliament; however, the outcomes from these agreements will be publicly announced.
In response to a question from MP Rick Houenipwela about whether the MOUs would be disclosed, Agovaka replied, ‘the answer is no, Mr. Speaker’. While we will announce the outcomes related to infrastructure, scholarships, and trade, the actual MOUs will not be made public.
He emphasized that the Solomon Islands maintains bilateral relationships with 130 countries, and it is standard practice not to disclose every MOU publicly.
Instead, the focus is on implementing these agreements and communicating the results.
Minister Agovaka encouraged those interested in learning more to consult the relevant ministries overseeing the implementation of these MOUs.
