Ties between Beijing and the Solomon Islands leadership continue to deepen after Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare inked a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Mr. Sogavare met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang during a week-long visit to China, which will conclude as the prime minister opens his country’s official embassy in Beijing.
On July 10, Mr. Sogavare signed, in total, nine deals with the CCP to bolster ties between the countries, including an upgrade of police cooperation, as well as trade, civil aviation, and in sports
The move comes a year after the Sogavare government locked in a security deal with CCP that set off alarm bells in Australia and the United States and comes four years after the Solomons switched diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing….