New Zealand has been caught off guard by the announcement that the Cook Islands, a small island nation under its protection, is set to sign a strategic partnership agreement with China. Winston Peters, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, expressed surprise over the development, noting that the Cook Islands’ Prime Minister, Mark Brown, would visit Beijing for a five-day state visit starting Monday.
Details of the agreement remain unclear, but it marks China’s latest attempt to expand its influence in the South Pacific, a region of growing strategic importance. Brown had previously proposed issuing Cook Islands passports, which would alter New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements, but this idea was abandoned after New Zealand’s firm opposition.
The Cook Islands, with a population of about 15,000, operates as a self-governing nation in free association with New Zealand, relying on its larger neighbor for financial and defense support. Despite Brown’s visit to China, he emphasized that the partnership would respect Cook Islands’ sovereignty and national interests, focusing on economic opportunities, climate change, tourism, and infrastructure.
Brown’s visit is the first of its kind in a decade for a leader from a small South Pacific state, and the partnership will involve a Joint Action Plan for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This shift follows China’s 2022 security agreement with the Solomon Islands, a deal that included police training and raised concerns about China’s growing presence in the region.
As China continues to increase its engagement through aid, investment, and infrastructure projects across the South Pacific, including in nations like Vanuatu and Kiribati, global powers have taken notice, with leaders from Australia, the US, and other nations visiting the region. This growing influence has sparked concerns about the region’s future in the context of potential conflicts between China and the US.
