WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale to discuss deepening ties and signed a letter of intent to return the Peace Corps to the islands after more than 25 years, the State Department said on Tuesday.
The Solomon Islands, located about 1,240 miles (2,000 km) northeast of Australia, is viewed by analysts as having the closest ties among Pacific nations to China, the biggest U.S. strategic rival, after signing
a security pact with Beijing in 2022. This prompted concern from the United States, which has sought to bolster its ties in the strategically important region.
The State Department said that during the meeting, which took place on Monday, Landau and Wale discussed initiatives aimed at promoting investment in the Solomons. Landau also announced that the State Department would provide $6 million in new funding to expand its program to remove unexploded World War Two ordnance from the islands, where the Battle of Guadalcanal was fought between the U.S. and Japan.
Landau is acting director of the Peace Corps, a U.S. government program that places volunteers in developing countries.
In an online post, the Peace Corps said that between 1971 and 2000, more than 700 of its volunteers worked on education, community development and health initiatives in the Solomon Islands. It suspended its activities there in 2000 due to political unrest.
Last week, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Solomon Islands counterpart after China's military test-fired a missile with a dummy warhead from a nuclear-powered submarine into the South Pacific.
The launch drew criticism from regional countries, including the Solomons. Wale said after the test that China is "a good friend of Solomon Islands, but this is not something a friend does," while vowing stronger ties with Australia.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Jamie Freed)
