China is insisting that a visit this week by the prime minister of the Cook Islands to Beijing is not meant to conspire against anyone in the South Pacific. But the trip is creating a diplomatic dispute between the tiny nation and its chief financial supporter, New Zealand.
New Zealand has become increasingly wary about China’s growing presence in the Pacific region and the potential threats it poses to the country’s national security.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told reporters this week that New Zealand expects transparency in its relationship with the Cook Islands. He made the remarks after Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown announced that he was heading to China.
Brown is seeking a partnership in national development including infrastructure, trade and the economy.
The Cook Islands is a collection of 15 small islands with a population of 15,000. The country was a colony of New Zealand from 1901 to 1965, and while it is a self-governing nation, governments call the relationship one of “free association.”
New Zealand remains the largest source of aid for the Cook Islands, and the arrangement allows Cook Islanders to hold New Zealand citizenship and passports and to work and live in New Zealand.
Brown has said that New Zealand has been advised that the deal with China does not touch on security, and he said details “will be agreed upon” during his trip.
But the lack of transparency surrounding the agreement has increased concerns in New Zealand, especially since the Solomon Islands switched its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.
