Prime Minister Scott Morrison has suggested the Solomon Islands' leader Manasseh Sogavare is repeating China's rhetoric, following claims he learned of the AUKUS signing through media reports.
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Mr Morrison described the Solomons Prime Minister's criticisms as having "remarkable similarity" to criticisms coming out of Beijing.
"There's a remarkable similarity between those statements and those of the Chinese government," he said on Friday in Tasmania.
The war of words erupted following Mr Sogavare's comments in Solomon Islands parliament on Friday, that he had blindsided by Australia's decision to enter into the trilateral security agreement.
Moments earlier, the Prime Minister said there had "obviously" been "some other influences" in Mr Sogavare's perspectives in the months since the pact was signed but insisted Australia was still its "primary security partner in the region".
"One of the key issues we moved quickly to reassure the Pacific about was Australia, absolutely without question, meeting our nonproliferation obligations, which I know is a very significant issue within the Pacific," Mr Morrison said.
"And so I did have that conversation with the Prime Minister [Sogavare] the day following the announcement, and no issues were raised at that time in that discussion.
"Obviously, as time goes on, and new relationships are entered into, there's obviously been clearly some other influences in the perspective taken by the Solomon Islands Prime Minister."
Mr Sogavare said the Solomon Islands did not act "theatrical or hysterical about the implications" in response to it, but said the decision lacked transparency.
"I learnt of the AUKUS treaty in the media. One would expect that as a member of the Pacific family, Solomon Islands and members of the Pacific should have been consulted to ensure this AUKUS treaty is transparent," he told his parliament.
"I realise that Australia is a sovereign country, which can enter into any treaty it wants to, transparently or not, which is exactly what they did with AUKUS."
Mr Sogavare also lashed Australia's security contribution to quell civil unrest in the Pacific Island nation late last year, which he said nearly "crippled" the country.
The Prime Minister dismissed the comments, adding Mr Sogavare would call on Australia again if another situation occurred.
"We were the first call when those things [riots] occurred in December, and we would be so again," Mr Morrison said.
"It's our AFP that are on the ground there, right now, preserving that peace, which was restored."
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Marise Payne called on the Pacific nation to be more upfront with Australia over the deal it signed with the Chinese government.
However, she remained confident the Solomon Islands wouldn't cross a "red line" allowing a Chinese naval base to be built on the archipelago.