The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State recently met with the Solomon Islands Prime Minister to discuss deepening ties. They also signed a letter of intent to return the Peace Corps to the islands after an absence of more than 25 years.
The Solomon Islands lie about 1,200 miles northeast of Australia. The country is viewed by analysts as having the closest ties to China among Pacific nations. Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Matthew Wale signed a security pact with Beijing in 2022. That led to concern from the United States, which wants to improve its ties in the strategically important region.
The State Department said that during the recent meeting, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Wale discussed promoting investment in the Solomon Islands. Landau also announced that the State Department would provide $6 million to expand its program to remove unexploded ordnance from the islands. The Battle of Guadalcanal was fought between the U.S. and Japan in the Solomons during World War II.
Landau is also the acting director of the U.S. Peace Corps, which places volunteers in developing countries. In an online post, the Peace Corps said it suspended activities in the Solomons in 2000 due to political unrest.
In July, China’s military test-fired a missile with a dummy warhead from a nuclear-powered submarine into the South Pacific. The launch drew criticism from regional countries, including from Wale. He vowed stronger ties with Australia.
