Chinese FM Wang Yi to visit Solomon Islands amid security pact worry

Wang will be the highest-ranking Chinese representative to visit the country since the two nations formalised diplomatic relations 32 months ago, the Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Ministry said

China's 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 Beijing, amid concerns over their security pact that could allow Chinese military personnel on the islands.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, however, insisted in a statement posted on his government's website on May 24 that the partnership with Beijing does not come at the expense of ties with Australia, the U.S. and others.

The visit of Wang at the head of a 20-person delegation on Thursday and Friday comes amid growing concerns about China's influence in the strategically important Solomon Islands. Wang will be the highest-ranking Chinese representative to visit the country since the two nations formalised diplomatic relations 32 months ago, the Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

The security agreement signed in April would allow Beijing to send police and military personnel to Solomon Islands “to assist in maintaining social order" and let Chinese warships make port calls for “logistical replenishment". That has raised fears of a possible Chinese naval base on the doorstep of Australia and New Zealand.

Mr. Sogavare, who defends the pact as entirely about “internal security”, said Wang's visit would include the signing of a number of “key bilateral agreements”. “Prime Minister Sogavare looks forward to a productive engagement with PRC (the People's Republic of China) as an important development partner at a very critical time in our history,” another statement released on Monday said.

Mr. Sogavare noted that a New Zealand delegation was also due “in coming months” and that he had hosted high-level visits from Australia, Japan and the U.S. in April. “My government welcomes all high-level visits from our key development partners," Mr. Sogavare said in a statement posted on Tuesday.

"We will always stand true to our policy of Friends to All and Enemies to None' as we look forward to continuing productive relations with all our development partners.” The news of the visit came as President Joe Biden met in Tokyo with members of the so-called “Quad” group of nations — the U.S., Japan, Australia and India — which is becoming increasingly relevant as the U.S. emphasises security in the Indo-Pacific to counter China's rising influence.