Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Country: Solomon Islands
Three Pacific Islands Leaders to Skip Annual Bloc Summit Amid China-U.S. Rivalry
The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week's annual Pacific Islands Forum, hampering the consensus-based group’s efforts to project unity as China and the United States jockey for influence in the region. The three ...
China-Backed AIIB Admits Three New Members, Announces New Climate Finance Initiative
The Chinese-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank wrapped up its two-day annual meeting in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh on Tuesday and announced that three new members, all non-Asian, would be admitted to the bank. With the addition of ...
U.S. Charm Offensive to Pacific Island States Amid China Worries
A summit between the United States and the Pacific Islands Forum that started in Washington on Monday is the newest signal that Washington plans to increase its presence in the region in response to China’s growing influence there. The leaders were ferried ...
WEEK IN REVIEW: Solomon Islands Signs Police Cooperation Agreement With China
The Solomon Islands signed a police cooperation agreement with China, as part of upgrading their ties to a strategic comprehensive partnership. This resulted from a state visit by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to Beijing, and follows alarm in the U.S. and Australia due to a joint security pact ...
The Solomon Islands’ Beijing Embassy Opens Amid Western Concern About Stronger China Ties
The Solomon Islands officially opened its new embassy in Beijing this week, following the upgrading of their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. These stronger ties include an agreement on police cooperation. This follows riots in the capital Honiara in 2021, partly ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Why Chinese Lending to Pacific Island Countries Has Steadily Declined in Recent Years
Chinese lending to Pacific Island Countries (PICs) is now at its lowest level in 15 years, according to new data published by the Australian think tank Lowy Institute. The findings may come as a surprise, given China's heightened diplomatic and security ...
China Isn’t Spending Anywhere Near as Much on Aid to Pacific Island Countries as Many Think
New research reveals that Chinese aid spending in Pacific Island Countries (PIC) is now at the lowest level in 14 years, challenging the widely held perception that Beijing is showering the region with money in a bid to boost its influence. ...
Solomon Islands Explains It Wanted China References Stripped From U.S.-Pacific Island Countries’ Accord
The Solomon Islands caused a bit of a stir last month at a summit in Washington, D.C. when it refused to sign an initial draft of an accord between the U.S. and more than a dozen Pacific nations. Now, we know why.
Fox News Blames Biden for China in the Solomon Islands
U.S. concerns about Chinese influence in the Solomon Islands have crossed a notable rhetorical red line: it is now a talking point on Fox News. This turns it from an obscure geopolitical spat to a topic in the mainstream Republican-Democrat culture war. Fox hosted the ...
Solomon Islands PM Assures Australia It Remains “Security Partner of Choice”
Manasseh Sogavare, the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, moved to calm Australian fears about his country's new security pact with China. In an interview with The Guardian, Sogavare said there will never be a ...