The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will move quickly to establish a “military footprint” in the Solomon Islands after concluding a contentious security deal that opens the door for Beijing to station troops and weapons in the country, according to a defence expert.
Australian and U.S. leaders were caught wrong-footed by the emergence of the secret deal in late March, sparking a flurry of diplomatic activity to compel Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to change his mind.
