Australia Keeps China out of Internet Cabling for Pacific Neighbor, Solomon Islands

Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Rick Houenipwela (L) and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull shake hands ahead of a bilateral meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on June 13, 2018. Lukas Coch/AFP/Getty Images

SYDNEY—Australia has agreed to fund underwater internet cables and a cybersecurity center for the Solomon Islands, forestalling plans by Chinese telecoms giant Huawei that could have compromised Australian internet security.

The arrangement was announced on June 13 in a joint statement from the two governments during a visit to Canberra by Solomons Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela.