Honiara, (AFP) - A delegation of senior US officials will arrive Saturday in the Solomon Islands at a time when Washington is grappling with Beijing over influence in the Pacific, months after the host country signed a secret security agreement with China.

China continues to show its growing strength in the Asia-Pacific region, as it holds military exercises around Taiwan in a show of strength after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-ruled island.

US Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is leading the US delegation, which will make a three-day visit to the Solomon Islands to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II.

Sherman's father was a Marine who was badly wounded during the six-month battle between 1942 and 1943 that caused the Japanese to withdraw, marking the start of major Allied operations in the Pacific.

The United States announced this year its intention to reopen an embassy in the Solomon Islands, nearly 30 years after the closure of its diplomatic mission in the Pacific country.

China, which is represented by an embassy in the Solomon Islands, alarmed its Western adversaries when it signed a secret security agreement with the island in April.

The agreement, which some fear will lead China to expand its military control in the South Pacific, is supposed to be discussed during the US visit.

In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Mihai Sora, a research fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowe Institute (Lowe Institute) for strategic research in Sydney, says, "The United States has a difficult road ahead, in the sense that it is clear that the Prime Minister of (Solomon Islands) Manasseh Sogavare He values his country's relationship with China."

He adds, "The idea of choosing between the United States and China will not be welcomed. He will look for a way to work with both the United States and China."

But not everyone in the Solomon Islands supports the development of security relations with China, according to Sora, who explains that this is a "double-edged sword."

The Solomon Islands severed its relations with Taiwan in September 2019 in favor of maintaining diplomatic relations with China, a shift that opened the way for increased investment but ignited a rivalry between the islands.

In November, protests against Sogavare's rule turned into riots in the capital, Honiara, with much of the city's Chinatown burned down before Australia led an international peacekeeping mission to help restore calm.

Domestically, the opposition accuses the prime minister of the Solomon Islands of undermining democracy.

Sogavare reiterated his government's intention to postpone the general elections from next April until after the Pacific Games, which will be hosted by the Solomon Islands in November 2023.

And China is financing the construction of a national stadium complex, according to information that it is worth $ 53 million, to host the games.

The president of the Solomon Islands has faced harsh criticism for attacking the country's public broadcaster. Sogavarih's office this week accused the public broadcaster of spreading "lies and misinformation," saying it had neglected its duty to "practice fair, responsible and ethical journalism."

He pointed out that the standards adopted by the local media "have deteriorated over the years to the point that anything is published just to make money."

In response to these accusations, the International Federation of Journalists warned of "an assault on press freedom and an unacceptable development (...) for the democratic political process."

The union raised concerns when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the Solomon Islands in May. The tour then included press conferences in which severe restrictions were imposed and local journalists were forbidden to ask Wang more than one question.