Australia's relationship with the Solomon Islands should not be seen in relation to the rivalry between China and the United States in the Pacific, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stressed.
But his Solomons counterpart Manasseh Sogavare acknowledged the geopolitical shifts under way did pose important questions for small nations like his.
The two prime ministers celebrated Australia and the Solomon Islands' partnership as "true wantoks", or close comrades, in a joint statement on Monday.
Mr Morrison is the first Australian leader to visit the Pacific nation since 2008.
"We have got to be careful not to see what are ongoing and upgrading relationships here for Australia and the Pacific through those binary terms of the United States and China," he told reporters in Honiara.
"They have their interests in the region, as do others. Our relationship with the Solomon Islands, our relationship with the Pacific, transcends all of that."
China has been increasing its influence in the Pacific, including through financing of infrastructure.
The US has recently expressed concern that China - with whom it is locked in a trade war - has been trying to influence Pacific nations' diplomatic relationships with Taiwan.
But Chinese President Xi Jinping last week told the prime minister of Vanuatu his country was not seeking a sphere of influence among Pacific states.
Mr Sogavare told a lunch he hosted for Mr Morrison that the implications of the power shift from the US to China challenged the "rules-based global system".
"Small island countries such as Solomon Islands are now faced with strategic questions, such as what is the price of our relationships and what implications do they have for our future generations?" he said.
"The developmental and geopolitical challenges facing small island countries and in particular the Solomon Islands require some out-of-the-box thinking on strategic investments."
In Honiara, Mr Morrison announced funding to give Solomon Islanders an easier path to get work in Australia, and an infrastructure program worth up to $250 million in grant financing over 10 years.
Australia will help build a new government office to house prime ministerial, foreign affairs and trade staff, as well as provide smaller grants for programs that strengthen ties between people, including through rugby and churches.
"We're here because we are family with the Pacific," Mr Morrison said.
"I made it clear before the election that I wanted to make this a mark of our government that we were keenly interested at a very deep level about this relationship."
Mr Sogavare, newly elected for a fourth stint as prime minister, acknowledged that Australia had spent a significant amount of money through the RAMSI mission helping the Solomons through "our darkest days".
But he also highlighted several large infrastructure projects he has his sights set on.
"These are big-ticket items too big for my country to shoulder alone," he said.
"I do not expect Australia to shoulder the total burden with us. However, in your unique role as a friend of Solomon Islands, you can bring influence to bear on this agenda with other key friends and partners including the United States."
Mr Morrison presented Mr Sogavare with a ukelele and received a traditional wood carving in return.
The prime minister also visited two schools, reviewed a parade of the Solomon Islands Police Force, and laid a wreath at a memorial to the HMAS Canberra during his visit.
He next moves on to the UK to represent Australia in Portsmouth at the 75th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings and catch up with world leaders.
