FILE PHOTO: (L-R) Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attend a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 9, 2019. Campbell met on Wednesday in Suva with Fiji's prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, to discuss regional security, the U.S. embassy said, and will also travel to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The United States, Japan, New Zealand and Australia shared concerns about the Solomon Islands security pact with China "and its serious risks to a free and open Indo-Pacific", the White House said earlier in a statement, after officials met in Honolulu. Solomon Islands lawmakers urged Sogavare to publicly disclose the terms of the security pact. A leaked draft included provisions for Chinese police to maintain social order, and for Chinese naval vessels to replenish in the Solomon Islands, alarming Australia.

Source: Stuff April 20, 2022 06:59 UTC