The Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong arrived a short while ago at the Solomon Islands Prime Minister's office in Honiara.
Wong and her delegation were greeted by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and members of his cabinet, while she was garlanded with a traditional Solomon Islands shell money necklace.
Local media report the closed meeting currently underway is expected to cover the ongoing bilateral development cooperation agreements between the two countries with a particular focus on labour mobility and trade.
The Pacific country's controversial security treaty with China is also expected to be discussed given Wong was quite critical of the previous Canberra administration when news of the deal was leaked earlier this year.
Foreign affairs minister Nanaia Mahuta meets Australian foreign minister Penny Wong for bilateral talks in Wellington, New Zealand on 16 June, 2022. Photo: POOL / Stuff / Robert Kitchin
Wong's one-day visit to Honiara comes off the back of her visit to New Zealand yesterday.
Despite having been sworn in less than a month ago, Wong has so far visited Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, and now Solomon Islands.
Speaking to media Thursday afternoon, Wong said Australia's new government comes with a range of different priorities, including a "very different view on climate change to our predecessors" and a strong view on the Pacific region.