According to the recent media reports, a Chinese company has signed an agreement to lease an entire island in the Solomon Islands a day after Beijing recruited the Pacific nation as its latest ally in the strategically important region, according to documents .
The island of Tulagi has served as a South Pacific headquarters for Britain then Japan, and during World War II, its natural deepwater harbor made it a military gem.
Tulagi is an island about two square kilometers (0.8 square miles) with a population of 1,200.
The island is rich in natural resources, and China’s investments have provoked worries in the United States and Australia