Beijing and the Solomon Islands have signed-off on a controversial security pact that will allow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to station armed police, troops, weaponry, and even naval ships on the Island—exacerbating existing concerns of Chinese militarisation in the region. On March 31, the Chinese Ambassador Li Ming, and Solomons’ Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Colin Beck, released a media statement announcing the official signing of the “Framework Agreement Between the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Government of Solomon Islands on Security Cooperation.” The Agreement, if fully implemented, would expand Beijing’s reach beyond the South China Sea and into the heart of the South Pacific region—just 1,700 kilometres (1,056 miles) from Australia’s east coast. The leaders said the agreement would “strengthen bilateral cooperation” between China and the Solomon Islands, and bring “certainties into the security environment” of the region. Article 1 …