Cook Islands China deal riles allies as West’s grip loosens

Although the Cook Islands are smaller, its leader has mighty ambitions, and his signing of a number of agreements with China without consulting the populace or New Zealand, an alliance to which it is closely linked, has raised questions and concerns.

The contracts, which are the first of their kind, involve a nation that has not traditionally been an ally. They cover equipment, ship-building, hospitality, agriculture, technologies, education and, apparently critically, deep-sea mineral exploration.

Prime Minister Mark Brown says his choices will be based on the “long-term passions” of the Cook Islands, which are distant, resource-rich and resilient to climate change.

Not everyone is in favor of him. The new, extensive agreements with Beijing have caused protests on Rarotonga, the largest island in the country, and a vote of no confidence in Brown’s leadership, which he oversaw earlier this month. They have also worried Australia, another strong alliance.

Although New Zealand claimed it was “blindsided” by the China offers, Brown believes his nation is impartial and does not need to read Wellington on matters he claims are of no concern to them.

He has, unfortunately, tried to reassure Australia and New Zealand that the talks with China don’t change their interactions. However, the visible bash occurs at a time when the West seems to be loosening its hold on the Pacific.

The rise of China in the Pacific isn’t fresh. China’s presence in the region has been expanding, whether it’s signing a security package with the Solomon Islands or providing medical care in Tonga. And the US and its supporters have consistently made an effort to stop that.

However, as the Trump administration disregards relationships with allies like Ukraine and appears to be more unexpected, there is a new powerful at enjoy.

The Cook Islands has had what’s known as a “free relationship” relationship with New Zealand, a previous coloniser, since the 1960s- indicating Wellington helps on issues like defence and foreign politics, and that Cook Islanders keep New Zealand membership.

The two places are extremely tight. There are around 15, 000 Cook Islanders living in the Pacific area country, but as many as 100, 000 live in New Zealand and Australia. Culturally, Cook Island Māori- who make up the majority of the populace- are even closely related to, but different from, New Zealand Māori.

“]The marriage with NZ] connects us socially and connects us to our brothers and sisters of Aotearoa]the Māori expression for New Zealand ] – they left our shores to ship to Aotearoa. At the current rally against Brown’s dealings with China, Cook Islander Jackie Tuara remarked,” We need to consider that.

” Let us stand in solidarity with nations that share our democratic values, when do we as a democratic country, are we not? We don’t want to sell our oceans and property to the highest bidder. Those sources are for us– for our kids, for their potential”.

The deals Brown has made with China aren’t the only sign that he wants to pull away from New Zealand that have caused concern. He recently abandoned a proposal to introduce a Cook Islands passport following a public outcry.

Numerous people gathered just outside the parliament in Rarotonga to display placards that read,” Be connected with NZ,” in a country that is not accustomed to large demonstrations of protest.

There are still plenty of Cook Islanders who support him, despite all those who are against Brown’s current techniques to leave New Zealand.

China expert Philipp Ivanov, in evident deal with the prime minister, says that” the Pacific island nations have their own company, their personal desires and their own skills”.

He thinks that the new developments in the Cook Islands are” all part of that little wonderful activity that’s going on between Australia, China, and New Zealand in the Pacific.” It’s a whack-a-mole form of game”.

China has attempted to improve its ties with the tiny but strategically important Pacific Islands through support, infrastructure, and security deals despite the US’s longer dominance in the region’s security and military.

The wants of the US and the UK have since increased their political presence in the area. Australia has also stated that it will increase its help. However, it’s not clear whether US President Donald Trump may carry out his counterpart’s commitments to halt China, which Beijing is exploiting.

Last week, planes flying between New Zealand and Australia were diverted after China conducted military exercises involving live fire. Both Australia and New Zealand had been trailing the three Chinese warships that were making their way down the eastern coast of Australia in what experts say is an escalation and unexpected show of power.

” It’s a pretty efficient way of testing the diplomatic response in both the Australia-China and New Zealand-China bilateral relationship, and what the US is prepared to say in defence]of its allies ]”, says defence analyst Euan Graham, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

It also makes the argument that Australia’s navy is at a historic low and that China will always be ahead of smaller nations with smaller navies in the numbers game.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that no international laws were broken and that the drills were conducted in international waters. In fact, many people have pointed out that Australia and its allies frequently sail warships through the South China Sea.

” I’d view it as China wanting to capitalize on the chaotic effect that Trump is having right now,” says Mihai Sora, director of the Pacific Islands program at Australia’s Lowy Institute. ” China is taking advantage of that moment to]say], look Australia, you are actually alone. Where does the United States fit into all of this?”

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong freely admits” we are in a permanent state of contest in our region, that is the reality”.

In speaking out about the warships last week, Australia’s government was trying to reassure the public about China’s intentions, while also wanting to tell Australians that it’s all in hand. As Australia prepares to hold federal elections in the upcoming months, that is not a coincidence.

” ]Opposition leader Peter ] Dutton comes from this national security and home affairs background, so the government doesn’t want to give him any air to criticise Labor”, Philipp Ivanov says. ” Being weak on China would be disastrous for them, given what’s going on in the US and given our own elections”.

But it also brings the plight of this region of the world into focus.

Canberra will be contesting every move Beijing makes, according to James Laurenceson, the director of the University of Technology Sydney’s Australia-China Relations Institute.” This reflects that Canberra and Beijing have divergent strategic interests,” he adds.

But, he adds, they also have “enormous commonalities”- China is Australia’s largest trading partner- and New Zealand’s- for instance.

You must be able to ride both of these horses at once, then.

It’s not an easy relationship- it never has been. The US, a traditional ally, is the bigger surprise.

Although many in the Trump administration still describe China as a grave threat, US allies are unsure what to expect from the Washington-Beijing relationship.

And now that Trump is threatening steel and aluminum tariffs and withdrawing foreign aid, Australia feels more isolated than ever. The recent presence of China’s warships in the Tasman Sea serves to highlight this isolation.

” I wouldn’t think of them as military acts, so much as political acts using military hardware”, Mr Ivanov says.

” I think the political act is to say, look, we can do this anytime we want. Because they are busy destroying the global system, you can’t do anything about it, and the United States is not doing anything about it.