Solomon Islands PM shuns Joe Biden as Timor-Leste signs deal with China

Sydney/Washington: The Unites States is disappointed Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare will not attend a Pacific Islands summit with US President Joe Biden next week, the White House said.

Biden will host a second summit with leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum at the White House on Monday as part of his efforts to step up engagement with a region where the US is in a battle for influence with China.

Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Manasseh Damukana Sogavare addresses the UN General Assembly last week.Credit: AP

Sogavare’s withdrawal came after China and Timor-Leste announced on Saturday they had upgraded bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, potentially giving Beijing more influence in the region while satisfying the young half-island nation’s desire for stronger ties with major economies.

The agreement to enhance relations came after China’s President Xi Jinping met with Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou ahead of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

“Both sides will increase mutual support and strengthen international co-operation,” said Xi.

Last year, when Jose Ramos-Horta was inaugurated as Timor-Leste’s fifth president since the country’s independence in 2002, the Nobel laureate pledged to forge closer relations with China, especially in energy, agriculture and infrastructure.

China’s President Xi Jinping meets Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in Hangzhou on Saturday.

He said he would continue to foster a relationship with the United States, but added that Timor-Leste would not be implicated in any rivalry between Beijing and Washington.

Timor-Leste welcomes strong ties with all countries, including its southern neighbour Australia, Ramos-Horta said last year.

Upgrading their ties, China and Timor-Leste agreed to co-operation under the Belt and Road Initiative championed by Xi, that could open the way for investment in infrastructure.

Looking beyond South-East Asia, China has built ties with small nations in the Pacific during recent years, worrying the US and allies Australia and New Zealand, who have long seen the region as their sphere of influence.

China sent its military-run hospital ship to the Pacific in July to visit countries including Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands.

In a joint declaration, released on state-run China Central Television (CCTV), China said it would provide help for Timor-Leste’s economic and societal development.

Biden’s summit with the 18-member forum will take place on Monday and Tuesday (US time) in Washington.

“We are disappointed that PM Sogavare of the Solomons does not plan to attend,” a Biden administration official said.

Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele will reportedly attend the summit instead.

The Solomon Islands Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.

Sogavare spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday in New York, where he praised China’s development co-operation as “less restrictive, more responsive and aligned to our national needs”, and said Beijing was its lead infrastructure partner.

Sogavare said he reached an understanding with President Xi Jinping during a July visit to China for Solomon Islands to achieve development through China’s policies, including the Belt and Road Initiative and Global Security Initiative.

Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Sato Kilman also will not attend the meeting, an official from his office said, because all Vanuatu government lawmakers need to be in parliament on Monday for a no-confidence vote.

Reuters

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