High-level US delegation heads to Solomons to mark WWII amid China moves

A high-level US delegation will travel to the Solomon Islands to mark the 80th anniversary of the World War II Battle of Guadalcanal, months after the country signed a controversial security pact with China, the State Department announced Monday.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and other senior diplomats and military leaders will visit the islands' capital Honiara from August 6-8 and attend memorial events organized with Japan, now a close US ally.

The visitors will include Caroline Kennedy, the US ambassador to Australia, whose father, late president John F. Kennedy, was famously wounded in the Solomon Islands in a Japanese attack at sea in the wake of the decisive battle.

"These events will recognize the service and sacrifice of those who fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal, including US and Allied forces, the people of Solomon Islands and the people of Japan," a State Department statement said.

It said the US delegation will also "highlight the enduring relationship between the United States and Solomon Islands," including the recent decision to reopen a US embassy in Honiara.

The Solomons in April signed a secretive security deal with China, defying warnings voiced by the United States and Australia which fear that a rising Beijing will exert its military clout farther into the Pacific.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, however, recently insisted that the Solomon Islands will not host a foreign military base for fear of becoming a target.

Sherman's father was a Marine who was seriously injured in the Battle of Guadalcanal, a major offensive over six months in 1942 and 1943 that triggered a Japanese withdrawal and marked the start of major Allied operations in the Pacific.

Biden says he expects to call Xi this week
Washington (AFP) July 25, 2022 - US President Joe Biden said Tuesday he expects to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week, but is waiting for confirmation.

Asked whether the long-awaited call would take place this week, Biden said: "That's my expectation, but I'll let you know when that gets set up."

Any potential conversation between the two presidents would come as ties between the two global superpowers continue to deteriorate over issues including Taiwan, Ukraine and technology sector competition.

Biden told reporters about the plan during a meeting with tech CEOs and labor leaders to discuss legislation to address the global microchip shortage, which the Democrat attended virtually as he isolates at the White House while recovering from Covid-19.

The chip shortage, exacerbated by coronavirus lockdowns in China, is hitting industries that rely on them for goods from cars to smartphones, and pushing inflation higher.

The Biden administration has framed efforts to boost semiconductor production in the United States as an issue of competition with China, with the Senate expected to vote in the coming days on a funding bill to support the US tech industry's efforts to keep up.

Earlier Monday, Beijing blasted a potential trip by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan next month, warning the United States would "bear all responsibility for all serious consequences" if she goes to the self-ruling island -- a major exporter of semiconductors -- that China claims as part of its territory.

Pelosi has not confirmed a visit but told reporters last week it was "important for us to show support for Taiwan," while denying Congress was pushing independence.

Xi sent a sympathy message to Biden Friday over the US president's Covid infection, the two leaders' first public contact since their last virtual summit in March.

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