Solomon Islands voters favor China PM Jeremiah Manele
On Thursday, legislators in the Solomon Islands chose Jeremiah Manele to be their next prime minister, promoting the former foreign minister who promised to uphold the country’s foreign strategy that brought it closer to China.
In the 50-seat parliament, Governor General Sir David Vunagi declared outside the parliament house that Manele had received 31 votes against opposition leader Matthew Wales’s 18 votes.
Following Sogavare’s contentious security agreement with China in 2022, China, the US, and neighboring Australia were all keeping a careful eye on the election due to its possible effects on regional security. “We are working with you to develop China-Solomon Islands ties and deliver more benefits to our peoples,” the Chinese Embassy stated in a Facebook post.
