Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has criticised New Zealand for demanding too much oversight on a forthcoming deal with China, set to be signed in Beijing next week.
Brown argued that while the Cook Islands has kept New Zealand informed, it does not require their direct consultation, citing New Zealand’s own past agreements with China as precedent.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressed concern that New Zealand and the Cook Islands public remain unaware of the agreement’s details.
The deal, which includes potential cooperation in deep-sea mining and inter-island transport, has raised geopolitical sensitivities, especially given regional tensions.
