Cook Islands, China and New Zealand

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 ‘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.
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
Cook Islands, China Pact Sparks Diplomatic Tensions with New Zealand
The Cook Islands has announced a controversial deal with China focusing on seabed mineral cooperation, stirring tensions with New Zealand—its key ally. The pact, lacking concrete security initiatives,
Cook Islands signs China deal at centre of diplomatic row with New Zealand
Official ratification of a "comprehensive strategic partnership" agreement is likely to cause consternation in Wellington.
After China deal, Cook Islands looks beyond ‘big brother’ New Zealand, US
The islands’ PM said Pacific nations were looking for other countries to ‘fill the gap’ in the wake of Trump’s return as US president.
Cook Islands' New Partnership with China Stirs New Zealand Concerns
The Cook Islands' new partnership agreement with China is causing concern in New Zealand. This Pacific nation, which maintains a free association with New Zealand, seeks more autonomy, potentially edging closer to China.
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.
Al Jazeera English10d
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 ...
AFP on MSN2d
Cook Islands PM defends pact with China, urges Pacific nation not to depend on ‘big brother’ New Zealand
The Cook Islands' PM Mark Brown defended a new partnership pact with China and urged his country not to depend on handouts ...