‘Not Going to Sit Down and Listen to People Lecture Me’ - Solomon Islands PM Rejects Meeting with US President Joe Biden

 Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who declined attending a meeting of South Pacific leaders with US President Joe Biden, said he did not want "anyone lecturing him," an Australian television network has reported.

According to Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, he held a press conference in Honiara, the capital and largest city of the Solomon Islands, upon his return from New York after the UN General Assembly session, to explain the reasons for his refusal to accept an invitation to meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington along with participants of the Pacific Islands Forum.

"I attended one [Pacific Leaders' Summit] last year, nothing came up out of that meeting," Australian media quoted Sogavare as saying. 

"I'm not going to sit there and listen to people lecture me, no way," the prime minister of the Solomon Islands said.

The leaders of South Pacific nations met with Biden on Monday, and on Tuesday, they held a round table discussion with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

As previously reported, Sogavare has raised concerns in the United States and Australia over his country's close ties with China, including security agreements. Washington and Canberra are said to fear the alleged establishment of Chinese military bases in the Solomons.

The Solomon Islands prime minister positively highlighted China's role in the development of his country at the UN General Assembly in New York and at the press conference in Honiara.