Livelihood supplies provided by East China's Jiangsu Province arrive at Malaita in the Solomon Islands on April 4. Photo: Courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in the Solomon Islands

As China extended its congratulations on the election of Jeremiah Manele as the new prime minister of the Solomon Islands on Sunday, the US ramped up its efforts to sway the Pacific Island countries (PICs) against cooperation with China in an attempt to sow discord. 

Experts reached by the Global Times said that the US' purported commitments are merely lip service that lacks substance, a fact that the islanders are already keenly aware of. The relationship between China and the PICs will not be affected by such smears, they noted.

When Chinese Ambassador to Solomon Islands Cai Weiming met with Manele on Sunday, Cai congratulated him on his election and expressed China's willingness to work together with him and the new government to enhance mutual strategic trust, deepen practical cooperation, strengthen cultural exchanges and promote new achievements in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Manele thanked China for its long-standing support and assistance, while reaffirming the Solomon Islands' commitment to the one-China principle. He expressed readiness to closely collaborate with China to elevate the friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries to new heights for the benefits of both peoples.

Manele, who was former foreign minister of the Solomon Islands, was elected by lawmakers on Thursday. He pledged to continue the country's international policy and friendly relations with China. This is the first general election held in the Solomon Islands after it established diplomatic ties with China in 2019. 

Sparking alarm over the "pro-China" figure, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late Friday that Washington is offering assistance to the PICs "even if Washington alone cannot match China's growing footprint," VOA reported on Saturday.

"China covers a lot of ground in the Pacific Islands, maybe more ground than we can cover ourselves," Blinken admitted. However, he told these countries, "We're not asking you to choose, we want to give you a better choice."

"Blinken's remarks reflect the US' consistent strategy in recent years to sow discord between China and the PICs, by portraying China as attempting to expand its influence in the region, even to dominate, which is simply not the case," Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"This is a typical case of a thief crying 'stop thief,'" Chen noted. 

The US' rhetoric of maligning China's mutual beneficial cooperation with the PICs has become increasingly harsh over recent years, which proves that China is receiving strong support and welcome from local peoples and governments, experts said. 

In contrast, the US has long been paying lip service, making empty promises to deceive the Pacific islanders. 

"In fact, the historical exploitation and plunder by Western countries, as well as the pressure from them after the independence [of the PICs], has made the countries clear about the US' tactics," Chen said. "As a result, the credibility of the US in the region has significantly declined." 

It is evident that Washington's strategy of exerting influence for its own selfish interests and hegemony is losing its effectiveness, Chen noted. 

The Solomon Islands is a prime example. Since establishing diplomatic relations with China in 2019, the US has been attempting to influence and manipulate the country, including through coercion to distance it from China. 

However, the previous government staunchly resisted this pressure, and the new government has also pledged to keep this policy continuity.

Chinese analysts expressed confidence that the relationship between China and the PICs will not be influenced by the smears of the US, while also cautioning that Washington will not stop its pace to keep exerting pressure to the countries through enticement or coercion.