Chinese Minister Embarks on 8-Nation Pacific Trip to Boost Alliances

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference during a session of China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress, in Beijing, on March 8, 2018. Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will embark on a 10-day trip to the Solomon Islands and seven other Pacific Island nations this week to boost Beijing’s alliances with the nations.

China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Wang would visit the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Timor Leste from May 26 to June 4.