US warns Pacific islands of ‘struggle’ against coercive regimes in veiled shot at China, Russia

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s comments come on a trip to the Solomon Islands to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal

Sherman was part of a US delegation to the region, as Washington tries to rebuild diplomatic relations in an area where China is growing stronger

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US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman hit out at a new crop of world leaders reviving “bankrupt” ideas about the use of force during a visit to the Solomon Islands on Sunday. Photo: Reuters/File

Published: 10:52am, 7 Aug 2022Updated: 2:37pm, 7 Aug 2022

A top US diplomat warned Pacific Islands of a new struggle against violent power-hungry regimes on Sunday, as she visited the Solomon Islands to mark the 80th anniversary of World War II’s Battle of Guadalcanal.

With China’s military carrying out war drills around Taiwan and Russia bombarding Ukraine, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman hit out at a new crop of world leaders reviving “bankrupt” ideas about the use of force.

Visiting a battlefield memorial in the Solomon Islands, Sherman said “some around the world” had forgotten the cost of war, or were ignoring the lessons of the past.

She hit out at “leaders who believe that coercion, pressure, and violence are tools to be used with impunity” without citing any leader by name.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman (C) poses for pictures with delegates and representatives from Japan at the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal at Skyline Ridge in Honiara, Solomon Islands on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Sherman is leading a US delegation to the Solomon Islands to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal.

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