We know China's influence is growing in the Pacific, but exactly how it operates is often opaque.
Now, Four Corners has uncovered a paper trail that reveals just how far Beijing is willing to go to keep its friends in power.
Today, reporter Angus Grigg on how a Chinese-backed multi-million-dollar slush fund is ensuring the Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, hangs on. 
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Angus Grigg, ABC Four Corners reporter