Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that the South Pacific region should not become an arena for great power competition and that China’s aid to countries there does not attach any political conditions.

The Pacific has become a source of intense competition for influence between Washington and Beijing. Washington has traditionally viewed the Pacific as its backyard, while Beijing has targeted Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.

Wang Yi made the remarks at a joint press conference with the Foreign Minister of Papua New Guinea during his visit to Papua New Guinea.

Wang Yi said that the South Pacific region should not become a stage for great power competition, and no country should regard island countries as its “backyard” and engage in zero-sum games and exclusive arrangements.

He said that any attempt to provoke confrontation in the South Pacific region does not meet the needs of the people of the South Pacific region.

Wang Yi said that China’s exchanges and cooperation with South Pacific island countries are for the purpose of supporting and helping each other and achieving common development, without any geopolitical selfish interests.

China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Papua New Guinea and start free trade agreement negotiations as soon as possible.

State-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Wang Yi said all parties should respect the choices of the Solomon Islands people and not interfere in their internal affairs.

Solomon Islands’ pro-China Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has retained his seat in national elections, local media reported late Friday.

Wednesday’s election, Sogavare’s first since he struck a security deal with China in 2022, draws the Pacific island nation closer to Beijing, a move that has raised concerns in the United States and Australia over its possible impact on regional security.