Cooperation with China on transit and social infrastructure is helping the Solomon Islands achieve the preconditions for progress and prosperity, said Jeremiah Manele, the Pacific country's prime minister.
Manele, who took office in May, discussed his plans to guide the country on a path to meeting its most fundamental national aspirations in a recent interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Beijing.
"Reviving and growing the economy is critical. We have to ensure that people have jobs, that there are employment opportunities so that they have income opportunities so that they can meet basic needs and services. These are important preconditions, the basis for joy, peace and prosperity. Because if they are absent, they are not there, then it will be very difficult to achieve what is in our national anthem, which itself is our prayer, it's our national prayer," he said.
Regarding his administration's priorities, the newly elected prime minister highlighted infrastructure development as a key focus.
"Part of this economic plan is infrastructure building. So far, China has become our biggest infrastructure development partner. As a country, we need more roads; we need more airstrips; we need more energy; we need more telecommunications. These are important pieces of economic infrastructure. But there is also a need for social infrastructure. Schools, clinics,[and] hospitals will continue to be critical. We have a growing population. So, there will continue to be need for more classrooms [and] more hospitals," said the prime minister.
"Striking that balance is important. But as you know, any country has to create an economic growth that is far beyond or much higher the population growth. For us, it's a challenge at the moment," he continued.
The prime minister underscored his country's cooperation with China as a foundational underpinning to this development pathway, particularly through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), proposed by China to boost global connectivity.
"There is a direct link, very very important for us, the BRI which we are part of now. Under the BRI, we already have a number of projects that China is assisting us with. And during this trip, we have also signed an understanding linking the BRI to a national development strategy. So, there is alignment in terms of the BRI and the Solomons Islands National Development Strategy 2016 to 2035," he said.
Manele paid his first official visit to China from July 9 to 15, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. During his visit, he held talks with Chinese officials about bilateral ties and future cooperation.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations five years ago, the two countries have achieved significant results in joint ventures, investment programs and trade.
Solomon Islands' BRI partnership with China aligns with national development strategy: PM
Solomon Islands' BRI partnership with China aligns with national development strategy: PM
Amidst overlapping global challenges, international experts at the 2026 Global Governance Forum in north China's Hebei Province emphasized that rebuilding confidence and cooperation in global governance requires enhanced dialogue, the establishment of common rules in emerging fields, and a fairer, more inclusive international system that amplifies the voice of the Global South.
Held from October 23 to 25 in Xiong'an, China's "city of the future" built on the North China Plain, the forum brought together nearly 400 representatives from over 90 countries. Spanning five major sectors and 22 thematic seminars, the event provided a platform for diverse stakeholders in politics, economy, technology, culture, and think tanks to jointly address governance challenges and promote inclusive, multi-stakeholder global governance reform.
"In this conference, I met some American representatives, a remarkable businessman. I asked him, 'what are you doing here?' And he said, 'I wanted to discuss Global Governance Initiative.' I said, 'Listen, I don't believe because whatever China proposes, the U.S. will object. And he said no. And he mentioned specific subject -- AI. He said, 'I want to make my humble contribution into establishing (of) global governance in AI.' So among Americans, this idea is also receiving some understanding. More dialogue is required and I would underline the weight of this forum," said Djoomart Otorbaev, former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan.
In today's world, where deficits in peace, development, security, and governance are intertwined, rebuilding confidence and cooperation is the most scarce international public good. In response, China has proactively set the agenda to address pressing concerns, such as advancing the reform of the UN-centered governance system, cooperating on new frontiers like cyberspace, outer space, and AI, and bridging civilizational divides amidst geopolitical rivalry.
"And there were some specific initiatives which we also have discussed, which is to set the global governance for the outer space, for the deep seas, for some areas of the planet like the Antarctica, where there is various needs for more common rules. One area the world is looking for is artificial intelligence and we need to regulate globally and efficient intelligence to avoid the worst. So if we work together, we can get the benefits and make sure that we make it much more difficult to do the harm," said Erik Solheim, chairman of the EU-Asia Centre and former UN under-secretary-general and former executive director of the UN Environment Programme.
"The world has become a global village, but this global village is now fighting. There's a problem going on in the Middle East, there's a problem going on in Africa, but China is trying to promote a conclusive thing so that the world can be peaceful. Because of this Global Governance Initiative, China has been able to tell the world (that) how to work together," said Khalid Taimur Akram, executive director of the Pakistan Research Center for a Community with a Shared Future.
Since its proposal over a year ago, the Global Governance Initiative has garnered support and responses from over 160 countries and international organizations.
During the forum, China announced pragmatic measures to further implement the initiative, reaffirming its firm support for multilateralism and the core status of the United Nations, while emphasizing the need to enhance the representation and voice of the Global South in international affairs to translate the initiative from a Chinese proposal into broader international practice.
"It's that combination of defense of the games that arise from the existence of the international system, but improving it, updating it, performing it, making it fairer, particularly to the great mass of developing countries, which is why the Chinese proposals meet a lot of support, particularly from the Global South, but also from fair minded people in other countries," said Keith Bennett, vice chairman of UK 48 Group Club.
Participants of Global Governance Forum hail China's contribution to fairer international order
