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Tag - solomon-islands

 
 

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Liberal Democratic Party's policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi speaks at a ruling parties meeting in Tokyo on July 17.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 23, 2026
Parliament extension grounds some lawmakers from overseas travel
The Lower House¡¯s rules committee turned down requests from senior Liberal Democratic Party officials so they would be available to respond to questions during the extension.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale wear garlands during the island nation's Independence Day celebrations at National Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 7, 2026
Australia vows stronger ties with Solomon Islands amid China concerns
China on Monday test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine ?in the Pacific, its first test since 2024.
Matthew Wale at the Parliament House in Honiara on 2024. Lawmakers elected him on Friday after his predecessor was ousted in a no confidence vote.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 18, 2026
Solomon Islands names China critic to government and bans dolphin trade
China and U.S.-ally Australia are the largest donors and security partners to the Solomon Islands, with both competing for influence there.
China is turning its homegrown Kunming dog into a symbol and tool of its internal and international security strategy, using the breed to project control and shape security practices and norms in other countries.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2025
Chinese diplomacy goes to the dogs ¡ª literally
China is using its homegrown Kunming dog as a symbol to project control and influence security practices at home and abroad.
The Solomon Islands. A team from the U.S. nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust has discovered the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki on the deep seabed off the Solomon Islands as the 80th anniversary of the war's end approaches.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jul 18, 2025
Sunken WWII Japanese warship Teruzuki found off Solomon Islands
The Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer was discovered at a depth of more than 800 meters off the small island nation northeast of Australia.
Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi before their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on May 14
BUSINESS / Economy
May 27, 2025
Developing nations face ¡®tidal wave¡¯ of China debt, report finds
The poorest 75 countries are set to make ¡°record high debt repayments¡± to China in 2025 of a combined $22 billion.
People protest against the decision to virtually shut down the United States Agency for International Development, in Washington on Feb. 5. U.S. President Donald Trump's foreign aid freeze has halted vital projects in the South Pacific, aid workers and analysts say, risking lives and hurting U.S. efforts to woo the region.
BUSINESS
Feb 19, 2025
U.S. aid freeze stops crucial South Pacific projects
For years the U.S. has helped to buy life-saving medicine, combat illegal fishing and better prepare coastal hamlets for earthquakes and typhoons.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Pacific island leaders have agreed to establish up to four regional police training centers and a multinational crisis reaction force.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 28, 2024
Pacific island leaders ¡®endorse¡¯ joint policing plan
The policing plan is seen as an attempt to limit China¡¯s security role in the region amid Beijing¡¯s efforts to build Pacific influence.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the Cook Islands' Prime Minister Mark Brown shake hands during 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting on Thursday in Tokyo.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jul 18, 2024
With eye on China, Japan deepens ties with Pacific islands at Tokyo summit
Collaborations have been agreed in seven fields, including technology and connectivity, climate change, people-centered development and security.
The Defense Ministry holds a lecture for military and police officials from Pacific island countries at the ministry on Friday as part of its security-related capacity-building support.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 3, 2024
Japan Defense Ministry boosting aid to Pacific island nations
Only three out of 14 Pacific island nations ¡ª Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga ¡ª have armed forces.
Solomon Islands¡¯ newly elected Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele speaks during a press conference outside the Parliament House in Honiara on Thursday. Manele was elected defeated an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing's reach in the Pacific nation.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 2, 2024
China-friendly Manele elected as Solomon Islands PM
Manele chosen over an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing¡¯s reach in the Pacific nation.
Solomon Islands¡¯ Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare arrives at Parliament House to attend the new prime minister¡¯s voting session in Honiara on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 2, 2024
Solomon Islands lawmakers to elect PM, with consequences for China
Incumbent Manasseh Sogavare withdrew from the contest after failing to secure an election majority.
Solomon Islands' Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare speaks during a bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last July.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 30, 2024
Solomon Islands pro-China PM says not standing for new term
During four spasmodic spells as the Pacific nation¡¯s leader, the 69-year-old Sogavare has maneuvered through armed coups, riots and the rise of China.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare speaks during a visit to Beijing last July.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 22, 2024
Pro-China Solomon Islands PM fails to secure outright majority
Manasseh Sogavare¡¯s Our Party has won 12 seats with six contests still in play ¡ª well short of a majority in the 50-seat parliament.
Solomon Islanders queue up to vote outside a polling station in Honiara on Wednesday. The election could reshape regional security, with citizens effectively choosing if their Pacific nation will deepen ties with China.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2024
China and Taiwan ties hang in the balance in Solomon Islands vote
While domestic issues will be key to voters¡¯ choices, the result will have repercussions for the islands¡¯ ties with China.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 15, 2024
Opposition figurehead decries China¡¯s ¡®alarming¡¯ sway in Solomon Islands
The archipelago is the unlikely focal point of a diplomatic scramble pitting a rising China against Western rivals.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
New Zealand troops to help Solomon Islands in election
New Zealand said it will dispatch defense personnel, helicopters and a naval ship to the Solomon Islands to assist in a national election due next month.
COMMENTARY
Feb 21, 2024
Japan plays a game of Pacific islands geopolitical chess
The influx of Chinese investment and activities have introduced risk for some Pacific island nations, moves which Japan cannot ignore.
Flags of Solomon Islands and China flutter near the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on July 11, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 17, 2024
China helps Pacific Islands with policing, not defense: ambassador
Solomon Islands and Kiribati switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019, with Nauru joining just after Taiwan¡¯s election.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 22
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 28, 2023
Solomons leader says he spurned U.S. summit ¡®lecture¡¯
The pro-China prime minister severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2019, unlocking large sums of Beijing aid and investment.

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon

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