The Australian Reports Chinese to take over St Jorges lease

The Australian Newspaper. May 12th 2022. A Report authored by Professor Clive Moore warns China intends to establish bases/ports and acquire nickel assets.

Mr Sogavare has vowed not to allow China to establish a military base in the country, and was furious at Scott Morrison’s warning that such a move would be a “red line” for Australia.

But Professor Moore said Mr Sogavare could not be trusted to keep his word. “Sogavare is self-serving, an expert manipulator, and is planning to remain as Prime Minister,” he said.

“However, it is what constitutes a base that is important. It can be argued that China already has two potential military bases, Lee Kwok Kuen’s Leroy Wharf Port at Lungga, and the old Gold Ridge mine site in central Guadalcanal.”He said other potential sites included an old plantation at Yandina, in the Russell Islands, and Tulagi, which a Chinese company sought to lease immediately after Solomon Islands’ diplomatic switch from Taiwan.

Professor Moore said associates of Mr Sogavare were currently negotiating the sale of the Yandina site, which has its own port and airfield, to a Chinese corporation.

He said it would also be possible for Chinese interests to take over defunct coastal mining leases, including Australian firm Axiom’s leases in Isabel Province, which have access to San Jorge Island’s Thousand Ships Bay.

Axioms nickel project is in essentially the same bay/waterway as PNM's planned Kolosori project.