China trains Solomon Islands police to use water cannons

China trained six Solomon Islands police officers to use water cannons and other crowd-control vehicles.

The officers are members of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, and the training took place in the Solomon Islands security partnership with China.

The week-long programme covered how to use the vehicles and different situations in which they might be used.

The Chinese embassy announced the training but did not give its dates.

The training is part of an ongoing security partnership between China and the Solomon Islands.

Western countries view the partnership with scepticism.

The programme prepares officers to use crowd-control equipment, but no further plans were given.