Australia’s Top Diplomat Announces Third Pacific Trip in a Month
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit Solomon Islands Friday
- Australia and China have ramped up competition in the Pacific
Penny Wong, Australia's foreign affairs minister.
Photographer: Brendon Thorne/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced her third visit to the Pacific in a month, the latest diplomatic step-up by Canberra in the region as the Chinese government also seeks to expand its influence.
Wong will visit New Zealand for the first time since being sworn in as foreign minister on May 23, her office said in a statement Wednesday, followed by a trip to the Solomon Islands on Friday for meetings with Prime Minister Mannesseh Sogavare.