China's foreign minister Wang Yi stopped over in Kiribati on Friday, visiting the remote island nation as part of a Pacific tour that Beijing hopes will lay ground for a regional trade and security pact, alarming the United States and its allies.
Wang met with his counterpart and Kiribati president, Taneti Maamau, for discussions on fisheries, education and health, during the four-hour stop.
The Solomon Islands recently signed a security pact with China despite objections from Australia, the United States, Japan and New Zealand, which fear it could give China a military presence in the region. The official said a controversial plan to reopen a protected marine zone for fishing, and to upgrade an airstrip on Canton island, weren't among agreements due to be signed.
Kiribati lawmakers told Reuters last year it would also consider a Chinese plan to upgrade a disused World War Two airstrip, which Western critics said would offer Beijing a foothold about 3,000km southwest of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Kiribati said it would be a non-military project designed to bolster tourism.The Kiribati government said it would release details of the visit after the Chinese delegation had departed.
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