News Snapshot:
HONIARA, Solomon Islands: The Solomon Islands’ prime minister said Tuesday that a contentious security agreement with Beijing was “ready for signing”, denying reports that his country had been pressured to allow a Chinese naval base to be built in the Pacific island nation. In an impassioned speech to parliament, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare offered little detail on the final deal beyond saying that there was “no intention whatsoever… to ask China to build a military base in the Solomon Islands”. He dismissed reports in the Australian media that his country was being pressured by China to build the base. “Where...
