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Australia Woos Solomon Islands After Pro-China PM’s Exit

Australia touted on Thursday a "much bigger" relationship with the Solomon Islands, further ramping up efforts to woo a Pacific nation that has lurched closer to China in recent years. Foreign Minister Penny Wong arrived in Honiara for talks with new ...

Blinken Says U.S. Delivering for Pacific Islands Despite China’s Reach

The United States, boosted by allies and the private sector, is delivering for Pacific islands even if Washington alone cannot match China's growing footprint, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late Friday. Blinken spoke after lawmakers in the Solomon Islands, whose ...

Solomon Islands Lawmakers to Elect PM, With Consequences for China

China-friendly former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele was elected prime minister of the Solomon Islands on Thursday, defeating an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing's reach in the Pacific nation. Governor-General David Vunagi said Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot ...

Solomons to Choose PM on May 2, China Ties at Stake

The Solomon Islands will choose a prime minister on Thursday after a general election left the existing pro-China government's future in the balance. Lawmakers will meet in parliament to elect the Pacific nation's leader at 9:30 am May 2 (2230 GMT ...

Pro-China Solomons PM Fails To Secure Outright Majority

The incumbent prime minister of Solomon Islands was set to fall short of an outright election majority Monday, forcing the pro-Beijing Pacific leader to woo an unwieldy mix of potential coalition partners. According to provisional results reported by the public broadcaster, ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Pain of Un-Polarity

“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”
This post by U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week may end up leaving a more lasting mark than the actual summit he attended.

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Solomon Islands Readies for Post-Election Bartering With China in View

Political leaders in the Solomon Islands began trickling into the capital from far-flung villages on Saturday, preparing for post-election coalition negotiations that could alter China's fate in the Pacific nation. Incumbent Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare -- one of China's most steadfast ...

Pro-China Local Leader Ousted in Solomon Islands Election: Early Results

Beijing's bid to build influence across the Solomon Islands hit a major snag Friday, with the pro-China premier of the Pacific nation's most populous province set to lose his seat in country-wide elections. Malaita premier Martin Fini, who has overseen the ...

Solomon Islands Voters Go to Polls With China’s Influence in Focus

Solomon Islanders began voting Wednesday in an election that could reshape regional security, with citizens effectively choosing if their Pacific nation will deepen ties with China. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has pledged to further bolster relations with Beijing if he is ...

Solomon Islands Readies for Election in Shadow of China’s Influence

By Steven Trask Solomon Islanders will head to the polls this week, voting in an election that promises to bolster or blunt China's regional ambitions, with security consequences that will ripple far beyond the Pacific nation's palm-fringed shores. ...

Solomons Islands PM Vows ‘Look North’ Pro-China Policy if Reelected

Solomon Islands' pro-China leader on Tuesday detailed a reelection campaign based on a "look North" strategy that would deepen security and economic ties with Beijing while retaining "traditional" allies like Australia. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare -- who has accused "agents of ...

Solomon Islands Assure Australia on Chinese Base, Leaves Some Wiggle Room

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare of the Solomon Islands assured Australia’s visiting Foreign Minister Penny Wong that China won’t be allowed to build a permanent military base there.  Wong told journalists: “I welcomed Prime Minister Sogavare’s reassurances that there will not be a military ...

Western Governments Expected to Fret Anew When Wang Yi Travels to the Solomon Islands to Sign Security Pact

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to embark on a three-nation tour of the South Pacific this week that will include a stop in the Solomon Islands where he will sign a controversial new security agreement. Prime Minister ...