WASHINGTON—After a 30-year absence, the United States has reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands in an effort to strengthen diplomatic connections in the Pacific as a counter to China.
During a visit to the area last year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced plans to build a diplomatic presence in the Pacific island nation. The United States' last embassy in the Solomon Islands closed in 1993 due to post-Cold War budget cuts, and the country was represented there by an ambassador headquartered in Papua New Guinea.
Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday that the State Department told the Solomon Islands government that the new embassy in Honiara became official on January 27.
The US decision comes amid growing anxiety among Washington and its allies over Beijing's military aspirations in the Indo-Pacific area, following the signing of a security treaty with the Solomon Islands last year.
In September, US President Joe Biden welcomed Pacific island leaders in Washington for a conference, promising to work more with friends and partners to address the needs of islanders.
A joint declaration issued by the United States and 14 Pacific island nations vowed to expand their collaboration and stated that they shared a vision for a region where "democracy will be able to flourish."
The pact was signed by Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, whose administration had previously stated that it would not sign, raising worries about his links to the Chinese dictatorship.
Kiribati, a remote island republic, said on Monday that it will rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum, resolving a schism that has endangered unity in the strategically positioned area at a time of rising superpower tensions.
Kiribati and the Solomon Islands both transferred diplomatic recognition from self-ruled Taiwan to Beijing in 2019. Despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country with its own military, democratically elected government, and constitution, the Chinese leadership claims the island as its own.
The reopening of the Solomons embassy comes as Washington negotiates the renewal of cooperation agreements with three critical Pacific island nations: the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.
Washington retains responsible for the islands' security and exclusive access to vast areas of the Pacific under Compacts of Free Association (COFA) initially agreed upon in the 1980s.
Washington stated last month that it signed memorandums of understanding with the Marshall Islands and Palau, and that it had achieved an agreement with them on the parameters of future economic assistance from the United States, but it did not offer details
