US Expands Pacific Presence With Soloman Islands Embassy After 29 Years
NDTV
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to announce the new embassy on a visit to Fiji, where he is seeking to raise Washington's diplomatic profile in the Pacific region.
The United States plans to re-establish an embassy in the Solomon Islands, a senior State Department official said Saturday, as Washington seeks to beef up its presence in a region where China is rapidly expanding its influence.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to announce the opening of a new embassy on the Pacific island state during a visit to nearby Fiji -- 29 years after the United States downgraded its diplomatic presence there.
The United States closed its embassy in Honiara in 1993 and is now represented by a consulate there, with an embassy in the Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby.
While in the Fijian city of Nadi, Blinken will hold a virtual meeting with leaders from around 18 Pacific island states as Washington seeks to up its diplomatic and security game in the region to blunt a push by China for a stronger presence of its own.
