Solomon Islands Leaders Balance China And US TiesKaya Selby RNZ Pacific journalistTwo recent official trips by Solomon Islands' leaders leave no clues as to where its preference currently leans: China or the West. Houenipwela met with China's top diplomat Wang Yi, while Wale only met with the US' second-top diplomat, Christopher Landau. With China, its signed an agreement that frames negotiations for expanding trade and facilitating investment by Chinese firms in Solomon Islands. In the meantime, a Ship Rider Agreement will be signed in Honiara next week that allows the US Coast Guard into Solomon Islands waters, alongside local police. The 2000 coup d'état in Solomon Islands and surrounding ethnic tensions forced the evacuation of active Peace Corps volunteers, suspending a programme that had seen more than 700 Americans serve in the country over nearly three decades.