New prime minister says Solomon Islands will review its secretive security treaty with China

The Solomon Islands will review its secretive security treaty with China, the South Pacific nation’s new Prime Minister Matthew Wale said Wednesday.

The pact struck in 2022 with the Solomons’ then-Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare created fears in the United States and among allies including Australia that it would allow the Chinese navy to build a base in the South Pacific.

The Solomons provided China with a diplomatic coup in 2019 when Sogavare’s government switched official recognition to Beijing from Taiwan, the self-governed island democracy China claims as part of its territory.

Read more: AP