New Zealand and Australia have reacted with frustration to the news that Solomon Islands has gone ahead and signed a security agreement with China.
The possibility of such a deal had led to concerns, shared by the United States, that it could provide for China to establish a military base in the Pacific.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the agreement is unwelcome and unnecessary.
She told Morning Report the terms of the security agreement are a mystery to everyone in the Pacific.
The deal apparently allows Chinese forces to help maintain social order in the nation.
Mahuta said the signing of the agreement is not a foreign affairs failure and will be discussed at the inter-governmental Pacific Islands Forum in June.
