Global China and the Solomon Islands: Bringing Security to a Commonwealth Nation the Chinese Way

Chinese police are fingerprinting citizens and collecting biometric data under “community policing” program based on Cultural Revolution-era mass surveillance system.

China has launched an unprecedented overseas implementation of its domestic surveillance apparatus in the Solomon Islands, where Chinese police are collecting fingerprints and biometric data from citizens under a program based on Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution-era “Fengqiao Experience.”

The initiative, which began last week in the township of Fighter One near the capital Honiara, represents the first known export of China’s village surveillance model to a foreign nation, according to Australian academic experts familiar with China’s legal system.

The Fengqiao Experience traces its origins to the 1960s Socialist Education Movement under Mao Zedong, when residents of Fengqiao township in Zhejiang province were required to monitor each other and conduct “struggle sessions” against so-called “class enemies.” In the original program, approximately 3,000 of Fengqiao’s 130,000 residents, one in fifty people, were classified as “reactionary elements” subject to persecution.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has revived and modernized this surveillance model, implementing it domestically through local area associations that gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for tracking and detaining rule-breakers.

Under the current program, Chinese police working with Solomon Islands counterparts are collecting fingerprints, palm prints, and household registration information from residents while creating detailed community maps. Participants in Fighter One received “briefcases, community uniforms and other materials” in exchange for providing their biometric data.

Chinese police inspector Lin Jiamu stated the initiative would be “expanded across the country, thereby comprehensively enhancing the community management capabilities and safety levels.” The program has already extended beyond Fighter One, with Chinese police promoting the Fengqiao concept in 16 villages across Malaita province, the country’s most populous region.

The surveillance activities are being implemented alongside self-defense classes delivered by Chinese police proficient in kung fu, and community engagement programs featuring drone demonstrations designed to familiarize children with surveillance technology.

Solomon Islands opposition figures have condemned the program as an illegal infringement on constitutional rights. Opposition MP Peter Kenilorea Jr. questioned why citizens would “surrender to fingerprinting” unless being arrested, noting that when the country previously introduced mobile phone SIM card registration, it required lengthy parliamentary debate and new legislation.

“This is unheard of in the Solomon Islands’ context, let alone being promoted by police,” Kenilorea said. “Where is that [database] going to be held and what will they use it for?”

Opposition politician Celsus Talifilu warned the program was “dangerous,” stating: “In China, such measures are designed to suppress dissent and discourage public protest. If applied uncritically here, they may have the same effect: silencing grievances rather than resolving them.”

The program has been implemented without parliamentary approval, in contrast to previous data collection initiatives that required legislative authorization.

The surveillance program emerges against a backdrop of deepening China-Solomon Islands security cooperation following their controversial 2022 security agreement. China currently has about twelve police stationed in the Solomon Islands, providing martial arts and weapons training while hosting Solomon Islands police on trips to China.

The timing is particularly significant as it coincides with mounting tensions between the central government and Malaita province, which has historically opposed China’s growing influence. Malaita’s former premier Daniel Suidani openly criticized the 2019 diplomatic switch from Taiwan to China and banned Chinese companies from operating in the province.

These tensions erupted into violent riots in November 2021, when protesters from Malaita traveled to Honiara demanding Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s resignation. The unrest resulted in four deaths and the destruction of Chinatown, with hundreds of Chinese-owned businesses burned and looted.

While opposition politicians express alarm, some local residents see potential benefits. An anonymous resident near Fighter One told Reuters the community had experienced “a rapid deterioration in social order and a rise in lawlessness,” suggesting the program might help create stability, though acknowledging concerns about data collection.

The resident noted that traditional village elder systems for maintaining order were meeting resistance in urban fringe communities with residents from multiple provinces, potentially creating space for alternative governance models.

Australian opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash called the development “very concerning,” emphasizing the need to protect Pacific Islanders’ personal information. “Australia must continue to take the leading role in standing for transparency and democratic values in our region,” she said.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s head of China analysis, Bethany Allen, warned that China was seeking to export its domestic surveillance regime as a model for other governments. “This isn’t community policing, it’s policing of the community,” she stated.

China’s state-run Global Times rejected claims that the country’s Pacific aid aimed to exert undue influence, asserting that China’s assistance “comes with no political strings attached and is tailored for actual development needs.

The surveillance program occurs within intensifying US-China competition in the Pacific region. According to the Lowy Institute’s Pacific aid map, Australia spent more than $3 billion in Solomon Islands from 2008 to 2022, compared with $110 million by China. However, China has been prominently branding major infrastructure projects, including the capital’s main sports stadium and government buildings.

The development has been a focal point at the recent Pacific Islands Forum, where Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. declared the region was “under constant threat” from China, stating: “I might venture to say we are already at war, and the best way to combat this is through partnership with like-minded nations.”

The Solomon Islands program represents a significant escalation in China’s efforts to export its governance model internationally. Unlike traditional infrastructure or economic cooperation, the Fengqiao Experience directly implants Chinese surveillance and social control mechanisms into the domestic governance structures of a sovereign nation.

The image of Global China was generated by a non-Chinese AI program.