Solomon Islands grapples with disinformation as China stands to gain

TOKYO -- The Solomon Islands, a strategically important Pacific island nation caught in a battle of influence between Beijing and Washington, has seen a pattern of questionable information emerge in recent years when anti-China sentiment peaks, a Nikkei analysis shows.

This past March, word began to spread on social media in the Solomon Islands of a plot to assassinate Manasseh Sogavare, the country's China-friendly prime minister. An "American hitman backed by USA government will be in Solomon Islands for this hunt," one post claimed.