Sydney, Australia – The Cook Islands head on Tuesday defended a new partnership agreement with China, urging his country not to rely on handouts from “Big Brother” New Zealand.
Prime Minister Mark Brown said the agreement signed with Beijing provided opportunities for small Pacific countries in trade, infrastructure and sustainable use of marine resources.
“We can choose to become a country that depends on handouts and depends on our brother, or to be a country that can stand on our two feet and engage in a constructive partnership of mutual benefits. You can choose to do that,” Brown told Congress. .
PACT Premier, Premier Mark Brown (left) and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qian will shake hands during a meeting in Harbin, Hailongue Province, on February 14, 2025. Xinhua Newspaper Photos
“Our journey as an autonomous nation is not isolation, it’s one of partnerships and engagement,” he said.
New Zealand has argued for a lack of consultation and transparency over the agreement he signed with Prime Minister Li Qiang during his visit to China last week.
The Autonomous Cook Islands, a country of 17,000, have a “free association” relationship with former colonial ruler New Zealand.
The Cook Islands and New Zealand share a “deep and lasting bond,” Brown said he described Wellington as a precious development partner.
However, he added that Cook’s islanders were also “a huge contribution” to New Zealand’s economy.
“This is not a one-way support relationship, it’s a shared success partnership,” the prime minister said.
“It’s about trust.”
The Cook Islands have released a copy of their five-year “action plan” for a comprehensive strategic partnership with China.
We have listed areas of cooperation, including trade, investment and the “undersea minerals sector.”
A spokesman for New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington is looking forward to the release of all signed contracts “without delay” and will be involved with the Cook Islands government in the coming days.
As Brown said, protesters gathered outside the parliament to support a tough relationship with Wellington, some branding New Zealand passports show, TV images.
“We know that some of our community have felt that recent decisions have been unprecedented in recent months,” the prime minister said.
Cook Islanders retain New Zealand citizenship and travel with New Zealand passports.
I’m looking for influence
China is competing for strategically important diplomatic, economic and military influences in the Pacific, challenging the historic status of the United States, New Zealand and Australia.
Brown said that Pacific countries are looking for other countries to “fill the gap” after President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
“In my argument that China will step up in terms of achieving its carbon emissions targets and in terms of supporting small island states to build resilience to the impacts of climate change, I have said. I was relieved by the discussion,” he said.
The Cook Islands have learned that they must diversify beyond tourism during the coronavirus pandemic, he added.
“We are actively developing the seabed mineral sector under a world-leading regulatory framework, ensuring the necessary balance between responsible resource management and environmental protection.” Brown said.
Officials from the Cook Islands said they discussed undersea mineral research with China during their state visit.
Pacific Nation is approved by three companies to explore the seabeds of metal-rich nodules such as nickel and cobalt used in electric vehicle batteries.
Despite issuing a five-year exploration license in 2022, the Cook Islands government says it will not decide whether to harvest potato-sized nodules until it assesses the environment and other impacts.
