Australia kicks China out of Solomon cable work over spying concerns

Australia's spy agencies were so concerned about the security and strategic risks posed by a plan for Chinese firm Huawei to build an internet cable linking the Solomon Islands to Sydney that the Australian government will now build the Solomon undersea cable itself which will cost tens of millions of dollars to be funded through the Australian overseas aid program. The Solomon Islands currently rely on satellites for internet access. Huawei has previously been banned from providing hardware for the Australian National Broadband Network on the advice of the ASIO security agency. The project to connect the Solomon Islands will now also include a new cable connecting Papua New Guinea with Australia. Jonathan Pryke, a Pacific islands expert at the Lowy Institute, applauded Australia's move, saying that it made strategic and security sense while also providing much-needed development.