The Solomon Islands, widely considered China’s closest security partner in the South Pacific, will soon sign a deal allowing the US Coast Guard to patrol its waters with local police aboard, Prime Minister Matthew Wale announced on a trip to Washington to strengthen bilateral ties. While the South Pacific nation has deepened its ties with China over the past few years, particularly following the signing of a secret security pact in 2022, Wale’s visit underscored efforts to strengthen maritime...
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Solomon Islands counterpart on Tuesday, pledging to deepen ties and reaffirming Beijing’s unconditional support for Honiara while rejecting “third-party interference”, soon after a Chinese missile test sparked protests across the Pacific. Solomons Foreign Minister Rick Houenipwela’s visit to China began at a sensitive juncture on Friday, coming just days after the ballistic missile was test-fired from a nuclear-powered submarine on July 6. The test, which...