US to re-open Solomon Islands embassy in push against China

The United States has said it will re-establish a Solomon Islands embassy as it attempts to curb China's influence in the Pacific Island nation.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the decision while in Fiji on a tour of the region.

A US official said China was "aggressively seeking to engage" political and business leaders in the Solomons, with its actions "causing real concerns".

The islands' US embassy closed in 1993.