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

Beijing offered Micronesia officials cash, free flights and alcohol, claimed its outgoing leader David Panuelo, for Taiwan invasion support

The Biden administration is keen to head off China's bid for influence in the strategically important South Pacific after the Solomons agreed a security pact with China in April

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

News that the Solomons PM wants to sign a security pact with China has created shockwaves in Australia and New Zealand, given the risk it could lead to a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific

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