Pacific Islands solidarity is a Biden priority, US diplomat tells Solomons

SYDNEY — U.S. President Joe Biden sees strong ties with Pacific Island countries as a priority, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said in the Solomon Islands on Sunday, underscoring the stakes of a visit as geopolitical tensions have been mounting in the region.

At a World War Two memorial event in the Solomons capital Honiara, Sherman rebuked governments which she said sought to dismantle the rules-based international order. She did not specify which governments she was criticizing, but tensions in the region have been mounting between U.S. allies and China.

The Solomons surprised near neighbour Australia and Washington this year by disclosing a new security p…

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