Australia urged to intervene as China tries to buy a strategic Solomon Islands port mvariety.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mvariety.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Free and fair election could result in a new government that not only abrogates the security deal but switches back to Taiwan. That would be a serious loss of face for Xi Jinping, giving ammunition to his domestic enemies, and could lead to a politically weakened Sogavare being more exposed to prosecution.
An anti-corruption group in Solomon Islands says the government's move to sign a security agreement with China is just another controversial policy decision it has made in recent years.
Corruption continues to have a crippling effect on the lives of many people in southwest Pacific Island countries, exacerbating hardship and inequality and eroding human and national development