Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests.
You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy.
Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests.
You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy.
Potential Chinese military base in the Pacific
About the author
Natasha Kassam
Natasha Kassam was Director of the Lowy Institute's Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program from 2019 to 2022, directing the annual Lowy Institute Poll and researching China’s politics, Taiwan, and Australia-China relations.
The Australian public share the government’s concerns about the potential for a Chinese military base in the Pacific. In a nationwide poll in April 2022, 88% of Australians say they are either ‘very‘ or ‘somewhat’ concerned about ‘China potentially opening a military base in a Pacific Islands country’. A security agreement between Solomon Islands and China was signed in April during the fieldwork for this poll, and media had also reported on a leaked draft security agreement in late March, prior to fieldwork. In a different question in 2019, a smaller majority of Australians (55%) said China opening a military base in a Pacific Islands country would pose a critical threat to Australia’s vital interests in the next ten years.
