Solomon Islands leader visits Beijing, highlighting US-China rivalry in South Pacific

BEIJING (AP) — Leaders of the Solomon Islands and China have promised to expand relations that have fueled unease in Washington and Australia about Beijing’s influence in the South Pacific. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare met Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the country’s No. 2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, on Monday. Sogavare and Li presided over the signing of agreements on police, economic and technical cooperation. Sogavare said he was in Beijing to “further boost relations.” The Solomon Islands has been China’s biggest success in a campaign to expand its presence in the South Pacific. Sogavare’s government switched official recognition in 2019 to Beijing from Taiwan, the self-governed island democracy claimed by the mainland as part of its territory.