China foreign minister to visit Pacific island nations

BEIJING • Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the Solomon Islands this week, just weeks after the countries formalised a security pact that has drawn criticism from the Pacific island nation's traditional allies of Australia and the United States.

Mr Wang is touring Pacific island countries from tomorrow to June 4. Besides the Solomon Islands, he will be visiting Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, China's Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

He is expected to be in the Solomon Islands tomorrow and on Friday to hold bilateral talks with his counterpart Jeremiah Manele to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, and to meet Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

"My government welcomes all high-level visits from our key development partners," Mr Sogavare said on Monday.

"We will always stand true to our policy of 'Friends to All and Enemies to None' as we look forward to continuing productive relations with all our development partners."

News of Mr Wang's visit emerged as the Quad security group of Japan, India, the US and Australia agreed yesterday to strengthen their cooperation with Pacific island countries.

The visit comes after China and the Solomon Islands signed a security pact last month. It covers maintenance of social order, humanitarian assistance and natural disaster response.

China and the Solomon Islands have denied that a military base would be built, though a draft version of the pact released in March showed that Chinese military warships were on track to be allowed a safe harbour just 2,000km from the Australian coastline.

BLOOMBERG, REUTERS