Skip to content
SIBC, Voice of the Nation
Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister begins first Official Visit to China in Jiangsu Province

By Fredrick Kusu

Share

Foreign Minister meeting with Vice Governor Zhao Yan of Jiangsu Province

Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Rick Houenipwela commenced his inaugural Official Visit to China on Friday 10 July 2026.

The first stop of the visit was in Jiangsu Province, a sister-province of Malaita Province. In Jiangsu, the Foreign Minister met with the Vice Governor Mr. Zhao Yan and Foreign Affairs officials of Jiangsu and exchanged dialogue on enhancing cooperation on agriculture, education, technology and skills development.

Foreign Minister also met with representatives of the Jiangsu Fenghai New Energy Seawater Desalination Development Co. Ltd (FHNED) and discussed the potential to explore cooperation on renewable energy-powered seawater desalination projects in Solomon Islands.

The visit will continue in Beijing, where Minister Houenipwela will meet his counterpart – H.E Wang Yi, and the Chinese Minister of Commerce H.E Wang Wentao, to discuss the bilateral relations and future cooperation between Solomon Islands and China.

China continues to remain an important cooperation partner of the Solomon Islands. Advancing dialogue and cooperation in an open and practical spirit serves the common interests of both countries and its people.

The visit shows that amid a complex global economic and political environment, Solomon Islands still attaches great importance to maintaining and strengthening economic and development cooperation with China, the largest trading partner of Solomon Islands.

[end]

MFAET statement

TopicsForeign AffairsForeign Relations
Share

More in Foreign Affairs

More