The United States has opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands after a 30-year absence as it seeks to boost diplomatic relations in the Pacific as a counter to China.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced plans to open a diplomatic mission in the Pacific island nation during a visit to the region last year. The last U.S. embassy in the Solomons closed in 1993 amid post-Cold War budget cuts and the United States was represented there by an ambassador based in Papua New Guinea.
In a statement on Wednesday, Blinken said the State Department informed the Solomon Islands' government that the opening of the new embassy in the capital Honiara became official as of Jan. 27.
"The opening of the embassy builds on our efforts not only to place more diplomatic personnel throughout the region, but also to engage further with our Pacific neighbors, connect United States programs and resources with needs on the ground, and build people-to-people ties," he said.
The U.S. move comes amid concerns among Washington and its allies about Beijing's military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region after it struck a security pact with the Solomon Islands last year.
In September, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted Pacific island leaders in a Washington summit at which he pledged to help stave off China's "economic coercion" and promised to work harder with allies and partners to address islanders' needs.
A joint declaration between Washington and 14 Pacific island states resolved to strengthen their partnership and said they shared a vision for a region where "democracy will be able to flourish."
Those endorsing the document included the Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, whose government had earlier indicated it would not sign, heightening concerns about his ties to China.
On Monday, the remote atoll nation of Kiribati said it would rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum, ending a split that had threatened unity at a time of increased superpower tensions in the strategically located region.
Kiribati switched diplomatic recognition from self-ruled but Chinese-claimed Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, as did the Solomons.
The reopening of the embassy in the Solomons comes as Washington has been negotiating the renewal of cooperation agreements with three key Pacific island nations, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.
Under Compacts of Free Association (COFA) first agreed in the 1980s, Washington retains responsibility for the islands' defense and exclusive access to huge swaths of the Pacific.
Washington said it signed memorandums of understanding last month with the Marshall Islands and Palau and had reached consensus with them on terms of U.S. future economic assistance, but has not provided details. (Reuters)
The White House on Wednesday rejected North Korean accusations that joint military exercises in the region are a provocation and said the United States has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang.
"We have made clear we have no hostile intent toward the DPRK (North Korea) and seek serious and sustained diplomacy to address the full range of issues of concern to both countries and the region," said a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.
The White House comment came after North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that drills by the United States and its allies have pushed the situation to an "extreme red-line" and threaten to turn the peninsula into a "huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone."
The statement, carried by state news agency KCNA, said Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue as long as Washington pursues hostile policies.
The White House statement reiterated a U.S. willingness "to meet with DPRK representatives at a time and place convenient for them."
"We reject the notion that our joint exercises with partners in the region serve as any sort of provocation. These are routine exercises fully consistent with past practice," the official said.
"The United States is continuing to work closely with allies and partners to ensure peace and stability in the region. At the same time, we will continue to work with allies and partners to fully enforce UN Security Council resolutions that reflect the will of the international community and to limit the DPRK’s ability to advance its unlawful weapons programs and threaten regional stability," the official said. (reuters)
The suicide bomber who killed more than 100 people at a mosque in a police compound in the Pakistan city of Peshawar this week wore a police uniform and entered the high security area on a motorbike, a provincial police chief said on Thursday.
The bomber behind Monday's attack had been identified as a member of a militant network, Moazzam Jah Ansari, police chief of Khyber Pashtunkhwa province, told reporters without giving further details.
"I admit this was a security lapse. My men could not stop it. This is my fault," Ansari said.
The bombing was the deadliest in a decade to hit Peshawar, a northwestern city that has suffered decades of Islamist militant violence and is located near the restive Pashtun tribal lands bordering Afghanistan.
It took place as hundreds of worshippers gathered for noon prayers at a mosque that was purpose built for the police and their families inside the high-security Police Lines district.
Ansari said the CCTV footage showed the bomber, wearing a helmet and a mask, riding his motorbike through the main checkpoint of Police Lines. He then parked his bike, asked directions to the mosque and walked there, Ansari added.
"The police guards at the main entrance thought he was a member of the force; they didn't check him," Ansari said.
A day earlier, the police chief said investigators were not ruling out that the attacker could have had "internal assistance". Several suspects were in police custody, he said.
All but three of those killed were police officers, making it the worst attack on Pakistani security forces in recent history.
Police Lines is a colonial-era, self-contained encampment in that houses middle- and lower-ranking police personnel and their families in the provincial capital. Hundreds of police staged demonstrations across the province to protest the attack.
The most active militant group in the area, the Pakistani Taliban, also called Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has recently increased attacks on police in the northwestern province as part of its campaign against the government in Islamabad.
The TTP has denied responsibility for the mosque attack.
Pakistani officials say they suspect a breakaway faction of the TTP called Jamat-ul-Ahrar was involved.
Jamat-ul-Ahrar has claimed responsibility for several major attacks in the region over the years, including the twin suicide bombings at All Saints Church that killed scores of worshippers in September 2013, in what remains the most deadly assault on the country's Christian minority. (reuters)
Hong Kong leader John Lee unveiled on Thursday a promotion campaign that will include 500,000 free flights to lure visitors, businesses and investors back to the financial hub after more than three years of tough COVID-19 curbs.
The "Hello Hong Kong" campaign launched with dancers and flashing neon lights in the city's main convention centre beside its famous harbour, with a backdrop carrying the slogan in various languages, including Russian and Spanish.
Lee, speaking in English, said the campaign would show the city was open for tourism and was aimed at boosting business and investment in the Chinese special administrative region.
"Hong Kong is now connected to mainland China and the whole international world, and there will be no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions on experiencing ... enjoying the hustle and bustle of Asia's world city," he added.
Officials from the city's tourism, trade and aviation departments also attended the launch.
Hong Kong was largely sealed off behind closed borders for much of the past three years in a bid to ward off COVID, with mandatory quarantine of up to three weeks for arrivals, as well as intensive testing and screening.
The former British colony closely followed China's zero-COVID policy until the middle of 2022, when it began to gradually unwind its rules.
Hong Kong dropped most of the rest in December, but mask-wearing remains mandatory except during exercise, along with daily rapid antigen testing for students.
There remains a quota system for travellers between the mainland and Hong Kong and a COVID test requirement. Three of Hong Kong's border checkpoints with China have remained closed.
In December, China said it would scrap most of its COVID curbs and in January, it reopened its borders to the world, despite a surge in infections.
Many in Hong Kong deplored the COVID rules as threatening the city's competitiveness and standing as an international financial centre, especially after a period of political tension over pro-democracy protests.
Lee said Hong Kong would host sports and cultural events and highlight attractions such as the Palace Museum and M+ museum, as well as a revamped Peak Tram with special vouchers.
Upcoming events include the Clockenflap music festival, Hong Kong marathon and the Rubgy Sevens tournament.
Hong Kong celebrities, officials and business executives featured in promotional videos streamed during the ceremony that would be used to promote the city, Lee said.
"We have to let outsiders know that Hong Kong has a unique status, especially when the ‘one country, two systems’ principles will be implemented in Hong Kong for a long time," he added.
Airlines Cathay Pacific (0293.HK), Hong Kong Express and Hong Kong Airlines will receive free flight tickets to be distributed to overseas visitors for six months from March 1, officials said. (reuters)