New Solomon Islands PM breaks with China, cozies up to the West

The Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific recently emerged from weeks of parliamentary turmoil and a leadership shake-up resulting in a new government. The new prime minister, Matthew Wale, who had led the opposition since 2019, is delivering a foreign relations reset with Australia and New Zealand, both long-term regional partners and U.S. allies. He has less than two years to make a mark with his foreign policy and development vision before the next national election in 2028.“Fellow Solomon Islanders, change is coming,” Wale declared May 15 after assuming leadership of the island chain of