Bishop Luciano Capelli, SDB of Gizo in the Solomon Islands (map) has expressed concerned about the nation’s security pact with China.

“We Salesians are familiar with the Chinese regime,” he said. “Many still remember the torture and decades of forced labor. We all see the state of the Church there.”

Bishop Capilla said that a lack of interest on the part of the US fostered the conditions in the which offers of Chinese security assistance would be welcomed.

“In the 23 years that I have been here I have not seen any interest on the part of the United States, which has not even de-mined an airport runway, half of it is still unusable because of their bombs dropped against the Japanese during World War II,” he said.