Manasseh Maelanga, the Minister for Infrastructure Development of the Solomon Islands, led a delegation to visit Hainan from March 10 to 16, 2025. The visit aimed to study the development experience and best practices of the Hainan FTP (Free Trade Port), particularly in international ship registration, and to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the Solomon Islands and Hainan.

Bater, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and executive vice governor of Hainan Province, met with the delegation on March 13. He provided an overview of the progress and advantages of Hainan FTP development, highlighting its policies and industrial strengths and proposed enhancing cooperation in areas such as tropical agriculture, marine fisheries, connectivity, international ship registration, and climate change mitigation. He also emphasized the commitment to implementing the important consensus reached by the leaders of both nations in contributing to a community with a shared future in the new era between the two. Minister Maelanga highly praised the achievements of Hainan FTP and expressed his willingness to strengthen pragmatic cooperation with Hainan in related fields as part of further advancing bilateral relations between China and the Solomon Islands.

During their visit, the delegation visited sites in Haikou, Danzhou, and Wenchang. They also held discussions with the Hainan Provincial Department of Transportation, Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, and the Hainan International Ship Registration Administration. Additionally, the delegation visited the Hainan International Blue Carbon Research Center and the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, engaging in discussions on climate change response, high-efficiency tropical agriculture, international ship registration management, and the modernization of the marine fishery industry.

The Solomon Islands, located in the Southwestern Pacific, is part of the Melanesian archipelago and consists of over 900 islands. Its capital is Honiara. The country established diplomatic relations with China in September 2019.