Not impossible: UK looks to British troops in Darwin

Visiting UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said stationing British troops in Darwin, where US marines have a presence, was "not impossible" as his nation looked to expand its influence in the Pacific.

"It comes up quite regularly in conversation about what the Aussies and US are doing up there and whether we should be there too," he said on Tuesday.

"But it's not something we've got an active plan for and it's certainly not something we've spoken to the Australian government about yet."

Mr Heappey also floated Australia joining a combat air program between the UK, Japan and Italy to develop a stealth jet fighter.

"God, it would be awesome if Australia wanted to join," he said.

The fighter jet initiative is set against a hypersonic arms race as Australia, the UK and the US work to boost high speed missile capabilities and long range strike power.

Mr Heappey said the UK was working carefully to expand its presence in the Pacific, with concerns moving too fast or being too heavy handed might do more harm than good.

The minister said the UK was still in a discovery phase in the Pacific and military deployments to Australia were a better option than basing British troops on more contested territories.

He said there were no plans to station troops in Papua New Guinea after the US signed a defence co-operation pact with Port Moresby.

The US-PNG security pact has drawn domestic criticism in the Pacific island nation for potentially eroding its "friends to all, enemies to none" foreign policy mantra by militarising the nation.

Australia is also looking to sign a security pact with PNG.

There's a developing tussle for influence in the Solomon Islands after Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare returned from a visit to China and said further co-operation with Beijing was the way forward.

The Solomon Islands is considering creating its own military, raising concerns China could embed itself in the operations.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it remained Australia's view that any regional security challenges should be handled by Pacific nations.

"That is the view we will express not only to Solomon Islands but more broadly to the Pacific Island Forum," she told Sky News.

"We are neighbours, we share a region and we have a shared interest in that region being peaceful and secure."

Pacific Minister Pat Conroy used an address to Solomon Islands National University students to speak against disinformation, coercion, political interference and debt traps.

Mr Conroy said economic, diplomatic, strategic and military competition was an "unavoidable reality" for the region.

He said while the Solomon Islands was a sovereign nation and could make agreements with whoever it liked, he was reassured by Mr Sogavare's comments that Australia remained the country's primary security partner.

Australian Associated Press