[6][7] He was appointed to diplomatic postings as Counsellor and later Charge d'Affaires of the Solomon Islands Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

[16][17] Later that year, he travelled to Beijing to formalise relations between the Solomon Islands and the People's Republic of China.

[22] Manele became OUR Party leader on 29 April, after Sogavare stepped down from role and declined to seek another term as prime minister.

[23] In a secret parliamentary ballot for prime minister on 2 May, Manele won 31 votes, defeating Matthew Wale.

[24][25] He is described as China-friendly as he has pledged to continue the Solomon Islands' international policy that drew it closer to China.

[26] At the time of becoming Prime Minister, Western analysts, such as Meg Keen at the Lowy Institute, assessed that Manele would be a "less fiery and combative leader for the West to manage but he will continue to pursue close relations with China".