Some are saying that the Solomons will be our Cuba. No JFK-like figure here to deal it, though.

the Solomons will be our Cuba
ttbn,
Anyone thinking the Solomon Islanders will forego money from China in favour of being Australia's friend for a petty few million Dollars has rocks for brains !
And, yes it will be the Cuba of the South Pacific. Just you wait for the stream of migrants from there to Qld.

Solomon's opposition leader, Peter Kenilorea, has told Andrew Bolt that the deal with China is not for the benefit of his country, but for that of the PM and his government, which is unpopular, and in need of Chinese support. Most of the businesses in the Solomons are owned by ethnic Chinese, who also want the support of the CCP.

Dutton, Abbott and Morrison were caught out laughing about the climate change concerns of Pacific Islanders ("Time doesn't mean anything when you're about to be you know have water lapping at your door" and then they cut foreign aid.

Apart from using them to pick our fruit when it's convenient for us it's no wonder the Solomons and others have little faith in Australia's genuine interests in them and are prepared to look elsewhere.

As well as the Darwin Port fiasco, Morrison and Birmingham were once praising the Belt-and-Road initiative during their trip to China and later at at the Press Club a few years ago said "Australia welcomes the opportunity to cooperate on infrastructure investments in other countries, in third countries, where it is in the interests of that third country, where it is valuable infrastructure investment, where it respects the sovereignty of that third country and where it is financially suitable and appropriate for that third country."

I forgot to include that the last quote was about the option of Australia partnering with China on such Belt-and-Road Initiative projects in other countries and that was despite the trade war that was underway at the time.

"Australia welcomes the opportunity to cooperate on infrastructure investments in other countries, in third countries,
rache,
Go back even further & you'll find statements like "cars will never take over from horses".
Or, "this thing will never fly".
Statements made at the time do not reflect the values of today. Circumstances change & ideas & policies must change also.
We must try & change the dumbing-down mentality of today's Left if we don't want to go down the tube.