The port reconstruction deal, part of a $170-million project to upgrade roads and wharves in the strategically-located Pacific islands nation, comes as the US voices fears about China planning a naval base in the region

The United States and allies including Australia have been alarmed at China’s growing influence in the strategically important region

White House has invited 12 Pacific island countries, including the Solomon Islands, which signed a security pact with China in April

Fijian PM Frank Bainimarama said climate change is the biggest crisis for Pacific nations, and they felt a consensus was important as some island states opposed the new regional agreements

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said officials would raise the issue with the Solomon Islands on a planned visit this week.

A leaked memo showed Beijing had told the Solomon Islands in December it wanted to send a security team of 10 Chinese police to its embassy

Australian PM Morrison said China had been "very clear" about aspirations to build a military base in the Pacific islands, but this had not occurred

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to announce the opening of a new embassy in the Solomon Islands during a visit to nearby Fiji – 29 years after the US downgraded its diplomatic presence