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US opens embassy in Solomon Islands to counter China
- The US had closed its old embassy in 1993, but is now seeking to boost its diplomatic presence in the Pacific amid Beijing’s push into the region
- The facility will start small, with a chargé d’affaires, a couple of State Department staff and a handful of local employees
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The US opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands on Thursday in its latest move to counter China’s push into the Pacific.
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The embassy is starting small, with a chargé d’affaires, a couple of State Department staff and a handful of local employees. The US previously operated an embassy in the Solomon Islands for five years before closing it in 1993 as part of a global reduction in diplomatic posts after the end of the Cold War.
But China’s bold moves in the region have the US seeking to increase its engagement in a number of ways, such as by donating Covid-19 vaccines, bringing back Peace Corps volunteers to several island nations, and investing in forestry and tourism projects.
The opening of the embassy in the Solomon Islands comes as Fiji’s new leader, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, appears to be reassessing some aspects of his nation’s engagement with China. Rabuka told The Fiji Times last week he planned to end a police training and exchange agreement with China.
The US State Department notified lawmakers early last year that China’s growing influence in the region made reopening the Solomon Islands embassy a priority.
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