Solomon Islands
Australia says it will buy 20 new C-130 Hercules planes from the United States in a $6.6 billion deal that will increase by two-thirds the number of the Australian air force’s second-largest heavy transport aircraft.
The United States has opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands in its latest move to counter China’s push into the Pacific.
The Biden administration is plowing ahead with plans to open a U.S. embassy in the Solomon Islands in a bid to counter China’s increasing assertiveness in the Pacific.
A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake has struck near the Solomon Islands but there are no immediate reports of widespread damage or injuries.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Beijing was targeting its Pacific aid to new diplomatic allies Solomon Islands and Kiribati while Chinese financial support across the region continued to decline, the Lowy Institute reported Monday in its latest annual analysis of regional assistance.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Solomon Islands prime minister assured Australia on Thursday that he would not “endanger his country” by allowing China to establish a naval base in the South Pacific.
The Solomon Islands foreign minister says his nation agreed to sign an accord between the United States and more than a dozen Pacific nations only after indirect references to China were removed.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tuvalu have accepted Australia’s help to fly representatives to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and other British Commonwealth island leaders could take up the offer, Australia’s prime minister said Wednesday.
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — The leaders of Papua New Guinea held a ceremony Tuesday to honor the late Queen Elizabeth II and proclaim King Charles III as the country’s new head of state.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Lawmakers in the Solomon Islands voted Thursday to delay their nation’s general election from next year until 2024, a move that opponents say amounts to a power grab and that some fear could lead to further civil unrest.
Australia says its navy ships have been given clearance to resume visits to the Solomon Islands, which had last week announced a temporary block on all military vessels during a review of its approval processes.
President Joe Biden will host Pacific Island leaders in Washington later this month amid growing worries by the U.S. and Western allies about China’s activity in the region.
The Solomon Islands has asked countries to not send naval vessels to the South Pacific nation until approval processes are overhauled.
A U.S. coast guard cutter conducting patrols as part of an international mission to prevent illegal fishing was recently unable to get clearance for a scheduled port call in the Solomon Islands.
The United States is doubling down on its investment in the Pacific. That’s what U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said as she concluded a five-nation visit to the region in New Zealand.
The U.S. deputy secretary of state says the prime minister of the Solomon Islands “missed an important opportunity” by failing to attend a memorial service to mark the anniversary of a key World War II battle, amid concerns the South Pacific island nation is building closer ties with China.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The government of the Solomon Islands has taken tighter control over the nation’s state-owned broadcaster — a move that opponents say is squarely aimed at controlling and censoring the news.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A Chinese state-owned company is negotiating to buy a forestry planation with a deep-water port and World War II airstrip in Solomon Islands amid persistent concerns that China wants to establish a naval foothold in the South Pacific country.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The commander of the United States military in the Pacific said Monday he wants to expand and strengthen its ties with New Zealand.
The U.S. is sending a high-profile diplomatic delegation to visit the Solomon Islands next week led by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and including Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy.
SUVA, Fiji (AP) — Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said Thursday that his country’s new security pact with Beijing would not allow China to build a military base on the South Pacific nation and make his citizens “targets for potential military strikes.”
Australia and New Zealand’s prime ministers have agreed that security concerns regarding China’s expanding influence must be discussed at a meeting of western Pacific leaders.
Australia’s new foreign minister has visited the Solomon Islands to assure the South Pacific island nation it does not need a security pact with China.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s prime minister said Friday after a meeting with his New Zealand counterpart that the two nations are in lockstep in their policies toward the Pacific islands, where China’s influence is growing.
When China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands in April it raised concerns from the U.S. and its allies that Beijing may be seeking a military outpost in the South Pacific, an area of traditional American naval dominance.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a 20-strong delegation have arrived in the Solomon Islands at the start of an eight-nation tour that comes amid growing concerns about Beijing’s military and financial ambitions in the South Pacific region.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting South Pacific nations amid concerns over Beijing’s growing military and diplomatic presence in the region.
BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Solomon Islands this week in what the South Pacific nation’s leader said was a “milestone” in his country’s relationship with China, amid concerns that their new security pact could allow Chinese military personnel on the islands.
A Chinese ambassador says China’s engagement with South Pacific island countries poses no threat to Australia, responding to fears that Beijing will establish a military foothold in the Solomon Islands.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s prime minister said on Monday he was aware of China’s ambitions in the southwest Pacific after a newspaper reported plans by Beijing to build wharves, shipyards and underwater cables in the Solomon Islands.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s prime minister on Sunday refused to say how his government might respond if China attempted to establish a military base less than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off the Australian coast on the Solomon Islands.