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 nation’s government showed.
Western nations that traditionally held sway in the region have become increasingly concerned about China’s plans to increase influence after Beijing signed defense, trade and financial deals with Pacific countries in the past three years.
Amid domestic criticism of lack of transparency, the government unveiled the action plan for the deal on Monday in the Cook Islands, in response to calls from New Zealand, which had not been consulted, despite constitutional ties.
Photo: Reuters
“This does not replace our longstanding relationships with New Zealand, Australia and others, but rather complements them, ensuring that we have a diversified portfolio of partnerships,” Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown told parliament.
“We are strengthening economic diplomacy through initiatives like our comprehensive strategic partnership with China,” he added, pointing to opportunities on offer in areas such as trade, infrastructure and ocean resources.
Opposition has grown in the Cook Islands to any threat its pacts with China pose to close ties with New Zealand, and Brown’s government faces a no-confidence vote in parliament after Tuesday next week called by opposition parties.
Brown’s remarks, which also expressed confidence in Cook Islands’ ability to protect its interests, followed a protest march to parliament in the capital of Avarua backing ties with New Zealand.
“Stay connected with New Zealand,” read one placard held by protesters, who also brandished huge replicas of New Zealand passports.
“The first concern is the lack of consultation not only with us Cook Islanders, but also with New Zealand,” said opposition leader Tina Browne, who had pushed for transparency on the deal.
China is to give a one-time grant of about US$4 million to the nation of 15,000, Brown told reporters after his return home from Beijing.
New Zealand raised concerns about his visit to China, as it had not seen in advance the agreements signed, despite having asked to review them.
A spokesman for New Zealand’s deputy prime minister said he looked forward to the release of all the pacts signed on the trip.
The neighboring government would need to analyze the contents of the pact released on Monday and its implications for New Zealand and the people of Cook Islands, whose government it intends to engage with in the coming days, he added.
Situated halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, the self-governing Cook Islands can interact with the international community as an independent state.
The neighbors have committed to consulting on security, defense and foreign relations. New Zealand also provides some budget support and commits to defend the people, who are its citizens.
Seabed mining, hydrography, disaster relief and cultural ties are areas the pact earmarks for cooperation.It does not explicitly mention security, but the prospect of greater maritime cooperation could fuel concern over potential military use of information and marine infrastructure.
While New Zealand has previously quashed the Cook Islands’ aspirations of joining the UN without becoming independent, Monday’s action plan says China would back its hopes to widen membership of global bodies.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has fired his national police chief, who gained attention for leading the separate arrests of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on orders of the International Criminal Court and televangelist Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, who is on the FBI’s most-wanted list for alleged child sex trafficking. Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin did not cite a reason for the removal of General Nicolas Torre as head of the 232,000-member national police force, a position he was appointed to by Marcos in May and which he would have held until 2027. He was replaced by another senior police general, Jose
STILL AFLOAT: Satellite images show that a Chinese ship damaged in a collision earlier this month was under repair on Hainan, but Beijing has not commented on the incident Australia, Canada and the Philippines on Wednesday deployed three warships and aircraft for drills against simulated aerial threats off a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese forces have used risky maneuvers to try to drive away Manila’s aircraft and ships. The Philippine military said the naval drills east of Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) were concluded safely, and it did not mention any encounter with China’s coast guard, navy or suspected militia ships, which have been closely guarding the uninhabited fishing atoll off northwestern Philippines for years. Chinese officials did not immediately issue any comment on the naval drills, but they
POWER CONFLICT: The US president threatened to deploy National Guards in Baltimore. US media reports said he is also planning to station troops in Chicago US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to deploy National Guard troops to yet another Democratic stronghold, the Maryland city of Baltimore, as he seeks to expand his crackdown on crime and immigration. The Republican’s latest online rant about an “out of control, crime-ridden” city comes as Democratic state leaders — including Maryland Governor Wes Moore — line up to berate Trump on a high-profile political stage. Trump this month deployed the National Guard to the streets of Washington, in a widely criticized show of force the president said amounts to a federal takeover of US capital policing. The Guard began carrying
Ukrainian drone attacks overnight on several Russian power and energy facilities forced capacity reduction at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant and set a fuel export terminal in Ust-Luga on fire, Russian officials said yesterday. A drone attack on the Kursk nuclear plant, not far from the border with Ukraine, damaged an auxiliary transformer and led to 50 percent reduction in the operating capacity at unit three of the plant, the plant’s press service said. There were no injuries and a fire sparked by the attack was promptly extinguished, the plant said. Radiation levels at the site and in the surrounding