China-friendly former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele was elected prime minister of the Solomon Islands on Thursday, defeating an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing’s reach in the Pacific nation. Manele won 31 votes in a secret ballot of 50 MPs, the climax of a national election that will resonate in Beijing, Washington, and across the South Pacific. (AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)
The Vietnamese and Chinese Coast Guards concluded three days of joint patrols on Sunday along their sensitive maritime border in the Gulf of Tonkin. At the same time, though, Hanoi stepped up its criticism of Beijing’s unilateral fishing ban near the disputed Paracel Islands, which Vietnam says is a violation of its sovereignty. (VN EXPRESS)