US intimidation fails to sway Solomon Islands

In his speech addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said that his country has been unfairly targeted and vilified for its ties with China.

It showed courage for the leader of the relatively small Pacific Island nation to stand up to the West's "barrage of unwarranted and misplaced criticisms, misinformation and intimidation" and stress that "the right to establish diplomatic relations between sovereign nations is a universal principle shared by all members of the United Nations".

The United States and Australia in particular, have long deemed the Pacific Island region to be their sphere of influence. In their narrow-minded world view, there must be a strategic intention behind China's cooperation with the Pacific Island countries.