China Exports Village Surveillance Model to Solomon Islands

Piloting of 'Fengqiao' Concept of Grassroots Governance Triggers Human Rights Concerns

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SYDNEY - China has exported its village surveillance model to the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, where Chinese police are piloting fingerprint and data collection to curb social unrest, officials and locals confirmed to Reuters.

China's "Fengqiao" monitoring model - started under Mao Zedong in the 1960s to help communities mobilise against reactionary "class enemies" - has been reinvigorated by Chinese President Xi Jinping to ensure stability in local communities.

In the Solomon Islands, a security partner of Beijing, Chinese police have visited villages promoting the Fengqiao concept, familiarising children with surveillance drones by playing games, pictures posted to social media by Solomon Islands police show.

China's Foreign Ministry in Beijing and China's Pacific envoy in Fiji did not respond to a request for comment.

A grid system operates across Chinese villages with each grid manager responsible for "monitoring blocks of households", said Professor Ben Hillman, director of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University.

It was an "ideal mode of governance" for the Communist Party of China because "people mobilise in support of the party's agenda and monitor each other so that social conflicts can be nipped in the bud before they escalate", said Prof Hillman.