By AFP - Agence France Presse
Cook Islands Prime Minister defends pact with China.
The Cook Islands Prime Minister on Tuesday called for a new partnership pact with China and urged his country not to rely on aid from “big brother” New Zealand.
Prime Minister Mark Brown said the agreement signed with Beijing offers his small Pacific nation opportunities for trade, infrastructure, and sustainable use of ocean resources.
“We can choose to be a country that relies on handouts and depends on our big brother, or we can choose to be a country that can stand on its own two feet and engage in constructive partnerships of mutual benefit,” he told parliament.
“Our journey as a self-governing nation is not one of isolation, but one of partnership and engagement.”
New Zealand claimed a lack of consultation and transparency over the agreement signed with Premier Li Qiang during a state visit to China last week.
The Cook Islands, an autonomous country of 17,000 inhabitants, has a “free association” relationship with its former colonial ruler, New Zealand, which provides budgetary assistance, as well as helping with foreign affairs and defense.
The Cook Islands and New Zealand share a “deep and enduring bond”, Brown said, describing Wellington as a valuable development partner.
But Cook Islanders also made a “significant contribution” to New Zealand's economy, he said.
“This is not a relationship of one-sided support, but a partnership of shared success.”
The Cook Islands released a copy of a five-year “action plan” for a comprehensive strategic partnership with China.
The plan listed areas of cooperation, including trade, investment, and the “seabed minerals sector”, described as a national priority for the Cook Islands.
A spokesman for New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington expected the release of all signed agreements “without delay” and would engage with the Cook Islands government in the coming days.
As Brown spoke, protesters gathered outside parliament in support of closer relations with Wellington, some brandishing New Zealand passports, according to television footage.
“I am aware that some people in our community have not felt listened to in recent months about recent decisions,” said the Prime Minister.
Cook Islanders have New Zealand citizenship and travel on New Zealand passports.
China is vying for diplomatic, economic, and military influence in the strategically important Pacific, challenging the historical position of the United States, New Zealand, and Australia.
Brown said Pacific nations were looking to other countries to “fill the gap” after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement.
“In my conversations with Premier Li, it was reassuring to hear that China will step up to meet its carbon emissions targets and also support small island states to help build resilience against the impacts of climate change.”
The Cook Islands have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that it needs to diversify beyond tourism, he said.
“We are actively developing our seabed minerals sector under a world-leading regulatory framework, ensuring the necessary balance between responsible resource management and environmental protection.”
Cook Islands authorities say they discussed seabed minerals research with China during the state visit.
The Pacific nation has licensed three companies to explore the seabed for nodules rich in metals such as nickel and cobalt, which are used in electric car batteries.
Despite issuing the five-year exploration licenses in 2022, the Cook Islands government says it will not decide whether to harvest the potato-sized nodules until it has assessed the environmental and other impacts.
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