World News | Solomon Islands Ambassador to China John Moffat passed away in Beijing

Beijing [China]On December 27, the Straits Times reported that former Solomon Islands ambassador to China John Moffat Fugui, one of the top foreign envoys to China, died after less than two years in office.

The envoy, 61, is unlikely to have a detrimental effect on the five-year bilateral security pact that has rattled Australia and the United States.

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Notably, Fugui died on Thursday, making him the seventh foreign envoy to China to die in the line of duty in less than two years.

Fu Gui is the fifth ambassador to China to die since Ukraine’s 65-year-old Serhii Kamyshev died in February 2021 after a trip to the Beijing Winter Olympics venue, The Straits Times reported. Jan Hecke, 54, a former foreign policy adviser to then Chancellor Angela Merkel, died in the Chinese capital Beijing in September 2021 after two weeks in office .

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Also, Philippine journalist-turned-diplomat Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta. According to The Straits Times, Romana, 74, died in April 2022 during a mandatory quarantine in Anhui province, followed by U Myo Thant Pe, head of the Myanmar delegation, in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, in August.

Fugui became the first Solomon Islands ambassador to China in May 2021.

China and the Solomon Islands signed a security treaty in April 2022, sparking concerns in Canberra and Washington that the Asian powerhouse could expand its military footprint in the Pacific.

During a visit to Honiara in May, Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi sought to allay Western concerns, claiming that China had “no intention at all” of building military facilities in the South Pacific island nation.

Throughout his tenure, Mr Fugui has sought to open direct flights between the Solomon Islands capital, Honiara, and Chinese towns; promote tuna and timber exports to China; and attract Chinese investors and tourists; Chinese officials cited by The Straits Times Media reports said, and seek cooperation in solar energy. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)