Solomon Islands to ban US Navy ships from its shores

The Solomon Islands will no longer allow U.S. naval vessels access to its ports pending “updates in protocol procedures,” according to the U.S. Embassy in Australia.

The change in policy comes after a U.S. Coast Guard ship, the Oliver Henry, conducting an anti-illegal fishing patrol was denied a Solomon Islands port call on Aug. 23. The Pacific nation, led by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, has recently fostered closer ties with China, signing a security agreement with Beijing in April as relations with the United States have worsened.