The Cook Islands may be small but the ambitions of its leader are mighty and his signing of a range of deals with China without consulting the public or New Zealand – an ally to which it is closely tied – has caused increasing irritation and concern.

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.

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 island nation's government showed.

The Cook Islands said it has formalized cooperation pacts with China, including an action plan for a comprehensive strategic partnership and an agreement covering exploration for seabed minerals.

(AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File) WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The South Pacific country of Cook Islands on Tuesday unveiled the details of a deal with China to boost cooperation on matters including mining seabed minerals, after the pact provoked a rare ...

Cook Islands deal has implications for Pacific security, but particularly for New Zealand, the United States, and Australia.

According to International Relations Study Association(IRSA), on the afternoon of February 14, 2025, during the closing of the 9th Asian Winter Games, Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Cook Islands Prime Minister Brown in Harbin,

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown survived on Wednesday a vote of no confidence in parliament brought by the opposition over deals he struck with China that strained relations with New Zealand. Members of parliament voted 13-9 to defeat the motion introduced by the Cook Islands United Party.

The tiny Pacific nation’s partnership agreement with China was signed amid a furious diplomatic row with New Zealand, its former colonial ruler.

New Zealand is facing its own ‘Solomon Islands moment’ over a shock deal between China and the Cook Islands that clears the way for Beijing to build critical infrastructure and a persistent presence in the tiny pacific nation,

New Zealand is calling for “consultation and transparency” as a deal struck between the Cook Islands and China is released as tensions over the agreement persist. The “Action Plan 2025-2030″ for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Cook Islands and the People’s Republic of China was published this afternoon following weeks of speculation and a visit to China by Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown last week.

The Cook Islands may be small but the ambitions of its leader are mighty. A range of deals Prime Minister Mark Brown signed with China without consulting the public or New Zealand – an ally to ...