The Cook Islands says it has signed a deal to expand relations with China, stressing that the accord does not impinge on ties with former colonial power New Zealand.
Prime minister Mark Brown said he signed an “action plan for the comprehensive strategic partnership” with Chinese premier Li Qiang in the northern city of Harbin during a five-day state visit to China last week.
He promised to publish the accord, after New Zealand expressed concern about a lack of transparency over the trip and complained it had not been properly consulted.
The self-governing Cook Islands, a country of 17,000 people, has a “free association” relationship with New Zealand, which provides budgetary assistance as well as helping on foreign affairs and defence. There are obligations between the two nations to regularly consult on defence and security due to their special constitutional relationship.
Brown said his country’s relations with New Zealand and other partners were not affected by the new accord.
“The Cook Islands will continue to make strategic decisions in the best long-term interests of our people,” the prime minister said. “Our relationship and engagement with China complements, not replaces, our longstanding relationships with New Zealand and our various other bilateral, regional and multilateral partners.”
The agreement would be released online “in the coming days”, Brown said.
New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon told media on Monday that the government had not yet seen a copy of the agreement. “We want to see those documents, we’ll go through them and then we’ll have a conversation with the Cook Islands directly,” Luxon said.
A spokesperson for New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters said he was reserving comment until details of the agreement were released, but noted the minister has complained of a lack of transparency and consultation over the trip, describing it as “a matter of significant concern”.
In a statement released on Saturday, the last of day of his China visit, Brown said the accord set a framework for engagement in areas including trade, investment, ocean science, infrastructure and transport.
“This provides opportunities for our government, our private sector and our people to benefit from enhanced partnership opportunities with China in areas aligned with our national interests and long-term development goals,” he said.
Speaking to media on his return to the Cook Islands, Brown said he hoped to meet New Zealand officials in the coming weeks to “heal some of the rift that has occurred from our side”.
“I’m sure once the New Zealand government has a look at it there will be nothing for them to be concerned about,” he said.
Cook Islands officials say they also discussed seabed minerals research with Chinese institutes during the visit, as the Pacific island mulls deep-sea mining of nodules rich in metals such as nickel and cobalt.
China is vying for diplomatic, economic and military influence in the strategically important Pacific, challenging the historic regional sway of the United States, New Zealand and Australia.
China’s state news agency Xinhua earlier quoted Li as saying the agreement would “deepen political mutual trust and expand practical cooperation with the Cook Islands”.
With Agence France-Presse
Source: www.theguardian.com