China and the Solomon Islands on Saturday signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties after the Pacific island nation ditched relations with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a Chinese province and seeks to cut off from the international community.
The Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councilor Wang Yi, signed the agreement with Solomon Islands' Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele in front of reporters at a government guest house in Beijing.
China this week won over two former Taiwanese allies, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, in a setback for the self-ruled island that finds itself further isolated amid continued pressure from Beijing.