By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -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 several villages this year 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

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