WELLINGTON: Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown on Friday defended a string of contentious deals with China, saying they did not “compromise” the Pacific island nation’s sovereignty.
The agreements prompted major donor New Zealand to halt aid funding to close partner the Cook Islands, citing a “lack of consultation”.
The Cook Islands has a “free association” relationship with its former colonial ruler New Zealand, which provides budgetary assistance as well as help on foreign affairs and defence.
Brown defended the Cook Islands’ right to engage with international partners such as China.
The deals, signed in February, did not “compromise Cook Islands’ sovereignty”, he said.
The Cook Islands caught New Zealand off guard when it signed a slew of agreements with China covering deep-sea mining, regional cooperation and economic issues.
Brown said his nation was still “committed” to having strong ties with New Zealand, and hoped to strengthen the partnership.
“We deeply value the support New Zealand has provided over the years and continue to prioritise respectful, open, and forward-looking dialogue.”
New Zealand on Thursday said it had paused a planned US$11 million development assistance payment for the next financial year.
It provided US$116 million (NZ$194 million) to the Cook Islands over the past three years, according to government figures.
A spokesman for New Zealand’s foreign minister pointed to a “lack of consultation” surrounding the “agreements signed by the Cook Islands and China” as a reason for the aid pause.
