Chinese Belt and Road Initiative

...... Chinese companies will build and control power and port facilities, roads, rail and bridges on an island within the Solomon Islands, as part of an $825 million deal to revive an abandoned gold mine .............

................. gives Chinese interests an increased foothold in the Pacific, ..........

.......... were told the large contract would involve a significant infrastructure component beyond the immediate mine site. .........

................ The previous owner, Australian-listed St. Barbara, sold the mine for a nominal $100 to a landowner group in 2015, ........


................ The size of the contract has perplexed mining analysts, given past private operators have struggled to make the mine profitable.

Independent Australian-based mining analyst Peter Strachan said the agreement was "way over the top" for a relatively low-grade gold project with modest reserves. ............