Opinion
Sogavare’s new Chinese enforcers a test for a fragile democracy
An armed Chinese praetorian guard for Solomon Islands’ prime minister could aggravate instability and discontent, not ease it.
Rory MedcalfGeopolitical analystCanberra’s worries about a future Chinese military base in Solomon Islands obscure a more immediate risk in Beijing’s security deal with Australia’s Pacific neighbour.
That’s the very real prospect of China’s paramilitary police becoming the go-to provider of internal security in this fractured democracy.
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