Manasseh Sogavare,who alarmed Australian officials by aligning his nation closer to Beijing,will not run for another term as Solomon Islands prime minister.
The best places to go are the ones other visitors don’t even know about.
Papatura Retreat in the Solomon Islands isn’t for everyone. But for 82-year-old Pete Blanche and his wife Marg,it was love at first sight.
The announcement is a major diplomatic coup for Beijing just days after the Democratic Progressive Party was elected to lead Taiwan for a third term.
For many Solomon Islanders,the equation is simple. China offers them something they have not had for too long:aspiration.
There are fresh allegations of intimidation in the Pacific as Beijing’s influence grows to encompass everything from infrastructure to media,mining,policing and healthcare in one of Australia’s closest neighbours.
A 13-member sport diplomacy council with former top Australian athletes aimed at boosting ties in the Pacific appears to have been quietly unwound by Labor.
After cosying up to Xi Jinping in Beijing,Anthony Albanese has immediately pivoted to curtailing China’s influence in the Pacific.
A Solomon Islands official said the nation was keen to have the ancestral remains returned for proper burial.
Defending his country’s upgrading of ties with Beijing,Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta says China is “more respectful of Australia’s position than Australia is of the Chinese position”.
It’s part of a charm offensive aimed at curbing inroads by China in a region Washington considers strategically crucial.