As the trucks and cars zoom down Honiara's only highway, avoiding the potholes where they can, Ashley Wickham stands in the shadow of a behemoth.
Almost impossible to miss, the construction site of the country's new 2023 Pacific Games stadium looms large.
Mr Wickham, 74, a proud Solomon Islander and the first general manager of the country's national broadcaster, has seen many changes in the city he calls home.
But recently, change has become a little more rapid, and the catalyst has been the country funding and building the stadium: China.
"We need this kind of development in Solomon Islands," Mr Wickham told the ABC.
"And China has the means to provide everything we need. But I'm uneasy about how it came about and where we're going as a country.
"There's a lot of self-interest at play here.
'The Switch'
The small island nation of Solomon Islands was unexpectedly thrust into the centre of a geopolitical storm in April when it signed a secret security pact with China.
The pact sparked concern in Australia and across much of the Western world that China would leverage its power to build a military base in the country — speculation that both China and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare have since denied.
The security pact itself is an extension of Mr Sogavare's 2019 decision to change the country's diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan to China — a move known as "The Switch" in Honiara.
The decision was a source of simmering tension in the country, culminating in violence and rioting in November last year, with many demanding Mr Sogavare stand down. Angry mobs later torched buildings in Honiara's Chinatown.
The Solomon Islands' border opened on Friday, allowing international media to gain access to the country for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Almost nine months after the riots, the damage from the civil unrest is still visible.
Parts of the once-bustling Chinatown still resemble a war zone, with burnt-out buildings and political graffiti sprayed over the buildings.
Members of the Australian Federal Police and Australian Defence Force were sent in at the time to help quell the violence, and a small number still remain in Honiara.
However, their presence is not outwardly visible around town, with the ABC only spotting army personnel at a local cafe.
Chinese forces — although again not patrolling the streets or outwardly visible — have been training local police and prison personnel in "China-style" military exercises, which culminated in a graduating ceremony on Friday.
In an address to the graduates, which local media was not invited to attend, Solomon Islands Prime Minister praised the Chinese training, saying it would "greatly assist" the nation's police and prison staff to respond riots and maintain "public order".
"The recent November riots have cost us $SBD800 million ($150 million)," the Prime Minister said.
"One thousand people lost their jobs.
"The cost to rebuild our town is another challenge we will have to face.
"All for what? All for nothing.
The ABC has put in a request to speak to Mr Sogavare.
A 'certain apprehension'
Solomon Islands is a deeply religious country, and one man who knows and understands the consciousness of the people better than most is archbishop Chris Cardone.
The archbishop, who has been based in Honiara for 32 years, attributes the November riots to "certain problems" with government and corruption.
Speaking to the ABC after Sunday mass at his chapel, which is a stone's throw from the scene of the riots, he said youth unemployment in the country was also a major issue and cause of the discontent.
"And many of [those issues] have not been really addressed," Archbishop Cardone said.
"So I'd say we're happy to have the athletic and sporting facilities, but I'd say there's a certain apprehension [about the relationship with China] in the town of Honiara and many of the provincial capitals."
The Australian relationship
Australia remains the Solomon Islands' biggest aid donor, funding a multitude of projects across the country.
However the relationship soured during Australia's recent federal election campaign when the security deal was leaked on social media, with the Honiara-Canberra relationship becoming a political football in Australia.
It triggered an outburst from Mr Sogavare, who accused the then-Morrison government of hypocrisy over its criticism of the China deal.
Despite the recent tension, insiders say Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong's recent trip to Honiara has helped smooth out some of the recent bumps, with both sides committing to more open dialogue.
Despite the semantics, tension remains high.
One local prominent business owner, who said he would lose business if he spoke publicly, said China was becoming increasingly active in Solomon Islands, with "direct conversations" about increasing trade opportunities happening regularly in Honiara.
There is also a push for direct flights from Honiara to mainland China.
He said there was a danger Australia would be "left behind" for China, which was Solomon Islands number one trading partner, unless it became more active in addressing issues such as increasing trade, youth unemployment and visa issues.
"When Solomon Islanders apply for visas into Australia, we're treated as if we're second-class citizens," he said.
"And then we have ships that arrive here from Brisbane, but they go back empty.
The ABC contacted the Australian High Commission Solomon Islands for comment.
'The devil and the deep blue sea'
The country itself is incredibly unique and diverse, spread across six major islands and 900 smaller islands almost 1,000 kilometres apart.
And with 80 per cent of the country's population living in remote and regional areas, it is almost impossible to gauge the true feelings of the nation.
But if you ask someone in Honiara for the best place to feel the pulse of the city, there's only one answer: the market.
The ABC spent a morning asking market sellers and shoppers what they thought about the China pact and where the country was headed.
Some did not know about it, saying they were more concerned about putting food on the table.
Flower seller Florence Sabo had mixed feelings, saying other countries had made "The Switch" and were OK. She said she was hopeful the government was making the right decisions on her behalf.
"But I'm not so sure they are," Ms Sabo said.
The majority of market-goers, like fish seller Peter Chaniel, were against the deal.
"I don’t think it's much good for the people of Solomon Islands," he said.
"I don't think it brings any benefit to people in the outer islands of the country. It's not a good look for us [to be associated with China].
Back outside the stadium, Ashley Wickham was a little more direct.
"I was flabbergasted," he said.
"The security pact was secretive, it was undemocratic, and the arrogance of the decision was astounding.
"I personally don't think our government deserves to be in power anymore.
