SYDNEY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A senior-level U.S. delegation met the Solomon Islands' leader on Friday and warned that Washington would have "significant concerns and respond accordingly" to any steps to establish a permanent Chinese military presence in the Pacific island nation.
A White House statement said Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare reiterated to the visiting delegation led by White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell that there would be no military base, no long-term presence and no power projection capability under a security deal signed with China.
