China, Cook Islands

What is the Cook Islands deal with China and what has worried NZ?
Growing ties between Cook Islands and China, including a new comprehensive partnership agreement action plan detailed this week, have raised concerns in New Zealand, which has a close constitutional relationship with its tiny Pacific neighbour.
Cook Islands gives some detail of its China deal that has upset close partner New Zealand
The South Pacific country of Cook Islands has unveiled the details of a deal with China to boost cooperation after the pact provoked a rare diplomatic clash with the nation’s chief benefactor, New Zealand,
Cook Islands strikes deal with China on seabed minerals
The Cook Islands said Saturday it has struck a five-year agreement with China to cooperate in exploring and researching the Pacific nation's seabed mineral riches.
New Zealand must ‘reset’ Cook Islands ties after China pact, foreign minister says
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Wednesday his country must “reset” its relationship with the Cook Islands government after its Pacific neighbour signed agreements with China without consultation.
New Zealand and Cook Islands fall out over China deal
The Cook Islands is hugely reliant on New Zealand under a longstanding "free association" agreement that provides it with defence and financial support. China's growing influence
Why a China deal has set off a Cook Islands-New Zealand spat
But the proposed pact has shaken decades-old ties between the Cook Islands and New Zealand, neighbours that are set to mark 60 years of a free association agreement in 2025. That agreement has long given New Zealand influence over the Cook Islands, especially over its foreign policy.
Cook Islands deal with China on economy, seabed mining spurs protest
A strategic partnership deal between China and the Cook Islands spans areas from deep-sea mining to education scholarships but excludes security ties, a document released by the Pacific island nation's government showed.
Cook Islands ‘always free to choose’ to be independent: New Zealand
Cook Islands is “always free to choose” to be independent of New Zealand, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wednesday. The statement from Peters came amid tensions between Wellington and the self-governing South Pacific island nation that signed a pact with China last week.
China extends reach in South Pacific with Cook Islands deal
No details have been released, but analysts and environmentalists fear it will pave the way for closer security ties and the start of deep-sea mining.
New Zealand and the Cook Islands fall out over China
The Cook Islands needs trade and investment. Its economy depends on tourism, and, having graduated to “high-income” status in 2020, it is no longer eligible for aid. As Mr Brown sees it, China is part of the solution.
Cook Islanders Protest Deal With China - TaiwanPlus News
A recent deal between China and the Cook Islands has spurred protests in the Islands over controversial deep-sea mining provisions and what some residents perceive as threats to its close ties to New Zealand.
The Diplomat2d
Cook Islands’ China Shock: A ‘Frog in the Pot’ Moment for Pacific Security
Cook Islands deal has implications for Pacific security, but particularly for New Zealand, the United States, and Australia.
Newsroom2d
Cook Islands is gonna need a bigger boat – two of them
Analysis: NZ and Cooks taxpayers could pick up most of the tab to buy a new $5m ferry from China, writes Jonathan Milne ...