US officials heading to Solomons over China pact worries

By NICK PERRY
Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The U.S. is sending two top officials to the Solomon Islands following a visit by an Australian senator over concerns that China could establish a military presence in the South Pacific island nation. Kurt Campbell, the National Security Council Indo-Pacific coordinator, and Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, will lead the U.S. delegation visiting the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea this week. In Beijing, a Foreign Ministry official says China and the Solomon Islands recently signed a security pact.