BEIJING — The leaders of the Solomon Islands and China vowed Monday to expand relations that have fueled concern in Washington and Australia about Beijing’s influence in the South Pacific.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the country’s deputy leader, Premier Li Qiang. Sogavare and Li presided over the signing of police, economic and technical cooperation agreements.
“We are here to push relations further,” Sogavare told Li after a ceremony in which a Chinese military band played the Solomon Islands national anthem.
The Solomon Islands, 1,200 miles northeast of Australia, have been China’s biggest success in a campaign to expand its presence in the South Pacific. Sogavare’s government shifted official recognition in 2019 to Beijing from Taiwan, the autonomous island democracy claimed by the mainland’s ruling Communist Party as part of its territory.
“Solomon Islands, sir, has a lot to learn from China’s development experience,” Sogavare told Li. He welcomed the opportunity for dialogue to enhance “bilateral interaction and cooperation.”
The two governments “have decided to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development,” Li said. “The relationship between China and the Solomon Islands has developed rapidly and now we can say that it is very fruitful.”
The Solomon Islands signed a secret security agreement with Beijing that could have allowed the presence of Chinese military forces in the South Pacific. However, Sogavare rejected suggestions that his government could give Beijing a military foothold in the region.
The nearby island nation of Kiribati also changed official relations with Beijing in 2019.
Meeting with Sogavare later, Xi said Beijing wants to expand relations and trade through its Belt and Road Initiative to build ports and other infrastructure from the Pacific across Asia and Africa.
“China supports more Chinese companies to invest and start businesses in the region,” Xi said, according to state television. “China understands that the Pacific Island countries face severe challenges from climate change and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said last week that Sogavare’s visit will “inject new impetus” into relations and “deepen political mutual trust.”
China’s efforts to develop closer relations with other Pacific governments have largely failed.
The Biden administration responded by announcing plans to reopen a US embassy in the Solomon Islands.
Biden convened a summit of Pacific island leaders in September to unveil a strategy that included cooperation on climate change, maritime security and preventing overfishing.
Biden pledged $810 million in new aid to Pacific Island nations over the next decade, including $130 million to address the effects of climate change.
The agreements signed Monday by officials from the Solomon Islands and China included an implementation plan for police cooperation until 2025.
