Australian minister visits Solomons to counter China

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s new foreign minister has visited the Solomon Islands to assure the South Pacific island nation it does not need a security pact with China. The Solomons is the fifth Pacific nation that Foreign Minister Penny Wong has visited since her center-left Labor Party came to power in May 21 elections. She became on Friday the first Australian minister to visit the Solomons since its government signed a secretive security pact with China that many fear could lead to a Chinese naval base being established within 1,200 miles of Australia’s northeast coast. Wong described her talks with Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare as “constructive” and “wide ranging.”