Foreign Minister Penny Wong continues Pacific push with upcoming visit to Solomon Islands

Penny Wong will make her first visits to New Zealand and the Solomon Islands as foreign minister as Australia continues to increase its focus on the Pacific.

Penny Wong will visit Solomon Islands for the first time as foreign minister. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

Foreign Minister Penny Wong will visit the Solomon Islands in the first visit by the Albanese government to the Pacific nation since it signed a security deal with China.

She will meet with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Friday, with the visit coming alongside concerns over Beijing's efforts to expand its regional influence.

The trip also adds to Senator Wong's blitz to improve relations with the region, becoming her third trip to the Pacific since being sworn in last month.

She will also be visiting New Zealand to hold talks with her counterpart, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

Senator Wong said Australia was committed to deepening cooperation with the Solomon Islands on shared challenges including climate change.

"I look forward to discussing the ways we can continue to make progress on pandemic recovery, economic development and labour mobility priorities, and addressing our shared security interests," she said.

Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States have expressed concern Beijing could establish a military presence in the Pacific, although Mr Sogavare has denied the pact would allow a military base.

The regional agreement has raised concerns among Australia and its allies, which argue regional security should remain in the remit of the "Pacific family".

China has also sought to establish a sweeping security and trade agreement with 10 Pacific island nations.

The issues will be discussed at next month's Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Suva, several island nations have said.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi met with Mr Sogavare in Honiara last month, as part of an eight-nation Pacific tour, agreeing to deepen cooperation between China and Solomon Islands in fisheries, mining, infrastructure and trade.

Mr Wang said the security pact with the Solomon Islands would improve policing and protect Chinese citizens and institutions there.

"China supports Pacific Island countries in strengthening security cooperation and working together to address regional security challenges," he said during the visit.

New Zealand is working towards its own maritime security plan with Solomons Islands.

New Zealand Defence Minister Peeni Henare met with Solomon Islands National Security Minister Anthony Veke at the Shangri-La Dialogue - a security meeting held in Singapore over the weekend.

Mr Henare told media outlet Newsroom that maritime security was the top priority for the Solomons delegation.

"That's what was the number one theme in our conversation, so I said, 'Okay, how do we help?', and that was the creation of the work plan I just described," Mr Henare is quoted as saying.

"We went in making sure that they [China] knew our stance on making the Pacific safe, secure, and supporting the independence of those sovereign nations in the Pacific and I made that point very clear on a number of occasions."

With AAP and Reuters.