China's foreign minister will make a "milestone" visit to Solomon Islands this week, the island state said, after the two nations sealed a wide-ranging security pact last month.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi's trip comes at a time of heightened United States and Australian concern about China's intentions in the South Pacific.

The Solomon Islands government confirmed the China visit in a statement Monday -- the day Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was sworn into office.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said the Chinese foreign minister's one-day visit at the head of a nearly 20-strong delegation would be a "milestone" in the two countries' relationship.

Sogavare said he looked forward to a "productive engagement with Beijing, "an important development partner at a very critical time in our history".

China's foreign minister will sign "a number" of agreements with the Solomons, the statement said, without mentioning the security pact.

Washington and Canberra fear the security deal -- details of which have not been released -- could lead to China gaining a military foothold in the South Pacific.

An earlier, leaked draft of the China-Solomons security deal included measures that would allow Chinese naval deployments to Solomon Islands, which lies less than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) from Australia.

The Chinese minister will spend one day in Honiara visiting the Solomons prime minister and holding a joint news conference with foreign minister Jeremiah Manele.

No date was given for the minister's trip, scheduled for "later this week".

News of the China visit emerged ahead of a meeting on Tuesday of the US, Japanese, Australian and Indian leaders at a "Quad" summit in Tokyo, with the aim of countering China's growing economic and military clout in the region.

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

PM-elect Albanese vows to repair Australia's image overseas
Sydney (AFP) May 22, 2022
Incoming prime minister Anthony Albanese vowed to end Australia's reputation as a climate laggard and reset relations with the rest of the world Sunday, as he raced to form a government in time for a key Tokyo summit. Fresh from an electoral victory that ended a decade of conservative rule, Albanese signalled an era of fairer, greener and less pugilistic politics for Australia. "I want to change the country," the 59-year-old centre-left leader said. "I want to change the way that politics operat ... read more