US moves to reopen Solomon Islands embassy to counter China

It will initially be staffed by 2 American diplomats at 5 local employees at a cost of US$1.8 million, with plans for an expanded facility in the future

The US State Department is seeking a permanent diplomatic presence in Honiara to provide a counterweight to Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific

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US President Joe Biden poses for photos with Pacific Island leaders, including Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare (right) at the White House in September 2022. Photo: AP

Published: 4:11am, 5 Jan 2023

The Biden administration is ploughing ahead with plans to reopen the US embassy in the Solomon Islands in a bid to counter China’s increasing assertiveness in the Pacific.

The State Department has informed Congress that it will establish soon an interim embassy in the Solomons’ capital of Honiara on the site of a former US consular property.

It said the modest embassy will at first be staffed by two American diplomats and five local employees at a cost of US$1.8 million per year. A more permanent facility with larger staffing is eventually envisioned, it said.

The department notified lawmakers nearly a year ago that China’s growing influence in the region made reopening the US embassy in the Solomon Islands a priority. Since that notification last February, the Solomons have signed a security pact with China and the US has countered by sending several high-level delegations to the islands.

The US closed its embassy in Honiara in 1993 as part of a post-Cold War global reduction in diplomatic posts and priorities.