The Solomon Islands has gone on to sign a controversial security agreement with China against the wishes of local political influencers and its traditional diplomatic partners Australia and New Zealand.
The pact which was first leaked online last month raised domestic and regional anxieties about Beijing's increasing influence in the South Pacific.
Some expert commentators are saying it could open the door for Chinese military presence in Honiara - a claim rejected both by China and Solomon Islands.
RNZ Pacific Editor Susana Leiataua reports.
Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare (right) with Li Ming, China's first ambassador to the Solomon Islands. Photo: George Herming - Government Communications Unit
