Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare could engineer a “false flag” event to tighten control over the Solomon Islands after his government entered a secret security deal with Beijing that could pave the way for Chinese troops to be stationed on the Island, according to a South Pacific expert. The agreement, if carried through, would establish a new forward position for Beijing to assert control over the Indo-Pacific. The Solomons was the site of the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II and fought over tooth and nail because of its influence over the sea lanes in the region. Cleo Paskal, an associate fellow of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, said the leaked security deal was unsurprising and was the latest “piece” in Beijing’s building hegemony in the South Pacific. However, she warned that Prime Minister Sogavare could seize the chance to create a “security situation”—or an excuse—to bring in Chinese …