‘We are family’: Anthony Albanese meets Solomon Islands PM amid tension over China deal

Manasseh Sogavare says relationship with Australia is strong' despite his recent security pact with Beijing

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcast

Anthony Albanese has met with the Solomon Islands prime minister in Suva to discuss their common interests of climate change and regional security issues, despite recent tensions between the two nations over China.

It is the first time that Albanese has met Manasseh Sogavare. The relationship between the countries has become increasingly tense since the signing of the controversial security pact with China earlier this year, but ahead of the meeting Albanese reiterated the importance of the relationship and said it will be even better after this afternoon".

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning