U.S, Japan, Australia and New Zealand concerned by Solomon Islands-China pact

April 19 (Reuters) – The United States, Japan, New Zealand and Australia are concerned by a security pact between China and the Solomon Islands, the White House said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Officials from the four countries represented also shared concerns about a proposed security framework between the Solomon Islands and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its serious risks to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra Maler)

((Costas.Pitas@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: costas.pitas.thomsonreuters@reuters.net and @Cpitas on Twitter))