China Solomon Islands Photo: VCG

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday announced that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Solomon Islands Rick Houenipwela will pay an official visit to China from July 10 to 15, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. 

Against the backdrop of certain external noise aiming to undermine China-Solomon Islands ties, this visit sends a clear signal that the two countries will continue to consolidate their relations and deepen practical cooperation, analysts said.

Elaborating on Houenipwela's visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing on Friday that through this visit, China looks forward to enhancing political mutual trust, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and promoting the steady development of China-Solomon Islands relations so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Noting that the visit marks Houenipwela's first official visit to China since he took office, Mao said that China and the Solomon Islands are comprehensive strategic partners featuring mutual respect and common development for a new era.

"Since our diplomatic ties were established in 2019, China-Solomon Islands relations have enjoyed all-round and rapid development, standing as a stellar example of equality and mutually beneficial cooperation among developing countries," the spokesperson noted.

In 2019, the Solomon Islands announced in a statement that it recognized the one-China principle and severed the so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan island. In 2024, the two sides agreed to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the Solomon Islands in the new era based on mutual respect and common development, and to build a community with a shared future between China and the Solomon Islands in the new era.

Cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands is a two-way partnership based on equality and mutual benefit, free of political strings and solely geared toward win-win development, Chen Hong, director of Asia Pacific Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday. 

"Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the Solomon Islands has seen steady growth in exports of its agricultural, aquatic and mineral products to China," Chen said. "In return, China has delivered tangible benefits to the Solomon Islands' people through practical support in infrastructure, communications, healthcare and education. Bilateral cooperation boasts a solid foundation and broad prospects."

Through mutually beneficial cooperation with China, the socioeconomic shortcomings stemming from prolonged Western colonial exploitation in the Solomon Islands are being steadily remedied, the expert noted.  

However, some Western politicians and media outlets have been making unfounded claims against China-Solomon Islands ties. 

During a recent visit to the Solomon Islands, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to deepen bilateral ties with Solomon Islands, while criticizing China's strategic missile launch in the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, according to media reports. 

"Australia and its ally the United States have long considered the South Pacific within their sphere of influence," reads a Reuters report, which claimed that though China is Australia's largest trading partner, Canberra remains wary of Beijing's "expanding influence in the Pacific."

Australia's moves bear strong overtones of bloc politics and exclusivity, and it attempts to meddle in the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the Solomon Islands through coercive pressure and enticement targeting the island nation, said Chen.

By contrast, China maintains an inclusive stance on cooperation between Pacific Island countries and all other nations, as long as such partnerships are not directed against any third party, and stands ready to pursue trilateral and multilateral initiatives with others to advance regional shared development, peace and stability, Chen added. 

According to the expert, amid mounting external pressure, pervasive disruptive narratives and widespread uncertainties, the visit delivers an unequivocal message that China and the Solomon Islands will steadfastly consolidate bilateral ties and deepen all-round cooperation. 

Direct high-level engagement allows the two sides to exchange in-depth views and align positions on shared priorities, laying a solid foundation for sustained growth of bilateral relations, he noted.