The Latest Breaking News from Solomon Islands

Australia will set aside A$46 million ($29 million) to fund police deployments in Solomon Islands in next week's budget, part of an increase in spending in the Pacific intended to shore up its standing in the region as China seeks greater influence.

A group of 32 police officers from the South Pacific nation of Solomon Islands has flown to China to train in policing techniques and improve their understanding of Chinese culture, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force said in a statement.

The Solomon Islands prime minister has assured Australia that he would not “endanger his country” by allowing China to establish a naval base in the South Pacific

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told his Australian counterpart on Thursday he would not do anything that undermined Pacific security and would not allow military bases in his country under a security deal with China, media reported.

Mr Sogavare says Solomon Islands and Australia are proud members of the Pacific family that share a deep and enduring history.

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Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare will arrive in Australia on October 6 for talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. What should we expect from his visit?

A week after the US and the Pacific signed a historic joint-partnership declaration, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says China had a "different approach to engaging with the Pacific" to the US, while an expert says Beijing will not be deterred from pushing for influence in the region.

The Solomon Islands foreign minister said Tuesday that his nation had objected to the first draft of a US-Pacific partnership declaration because the Pacific territory was "not comfortable" with some indirect references to China.