What does China want with the Cook Islands?

Diplomatic storm clouds are gathering around the Cook Islands, a picturesque tourist destination in the South Pacific known for its creaking palms, pink beaches and deliciously warm nights. 

The microscopic island-nation has a long-standing ‘free association’ with New Zealand, which sees Wellington give the islands defence and financial support. Now though the islands are in the middle of striking an agreement with China, and New Zealand says it has been kept in the dark about the nature of the pact. 

‘We can confirm that there are a number of issues on which New Zealand and the Cook Islands government currently do not see eye-to-eye,’ a spokesman for New Zealand’s foreign minister, Winston Peters, tersely told the public broadcaster RNZ. 

Among those concerns are ‘policies and partnerships with other countries which could have significant security implications’ for the Cook Islands, New Zealand and the wider region, he said. 

Mark Brown, the prime minister of the Cook Islands, has been in Beijing this week to sign the Joint Action Plan for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between his nation and the Asian behemoth.