Wang Yi visits the Solomon Islands, attempting to reach series of bilateral agreements

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare stated on May 23, confirming that CCP’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the Solomon Islands this week. Wang Yi is expected to lead a 20-member delegation to the Solomon Islands’ capital Honiara on May 25 to attend “several high-level meetings” with Prime Minister Sogavare and other senior officials. Wang is also to visit at least five Pacific Island countries, including Fiji and Papua New Guinea, in the next two weeks.

The CCP Ambassador Li Ming said significant bilateral agreements would be signed between Communist China and the Solomon Islands. The Solomon authorities described Wang Yi’s visit as a milestone but did not mention whether a formal signing ceremony for the framework agreement on security cooperation would be held.

Earlier, the CCP Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced that the two countries had formally signed a bilateral security cooperation framework agreement. This move has drawn widespread attention from the international community, including the United States and Australia.

In addition, the latest news indicates that the CCP is discussing similar agreements with two other Pacific Island countries, which triggers suspicion in the Western world that the CCP may be interested in establishing new strategic positions in the Pacific Island countries.