‘This Could Be the Same’: China’s Growing Footprint in the Pacific Likened to Pre–Pearl Harbor Japan

Adelegation led by a Solomon Islands leader ousted by the Pacific nation’s pro-Beijing government delivered a stark warning this week: that China’s growing influence in their country foreshadows an authoritarian takeover — and, potentially, a future attack on the U.S. akin to Pearl Harbor.

“When you look back at World War II, this is the similar thing that has happened with the Japanese Imperial Army. They were hanging around in the Pacific, and all of a sudden, they attacked Pearl Harbor,” said Celsus Talifilu, a political adviser to one of his country’s top opposition leaders.