Esper praises Solomon Islands’ decision to nix island-leasing deal with Chinese firm
By WYATT OLSON | STARS AND STRIPES Published: October 25, 2019
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday lauded a legal decision in the Solomon Islands that prevents a Chinese company from leasing an entire island in the South Pacific nation.
“I want to applaud the decision of the Solomon Islands attorney general to invalidate the Chinese effort to lease the island of Tulagi for 75 years,†Esper said in a statement. “This is an important decision to reinforce sovereignty, transparency, and the rule of law.â€
Details of the long-term lease between the Solomon Islands’ Central Province and the China Sam Enterprise Group were only recently made public. News of the deal followed soon after Solomon Island officials announced in September that the nation was switching its diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China.
Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/esper-praises-solomon-islands-decision-to-nix-island-leasing-deal-with-chinese-firm-1.604707
Finally some relatively good news!
