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Cook Islands
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Cook Islands
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Cook Islands. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
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Capital
Avarua
Head of State
King Charles III
Head of Government
Prime Minister Mark Brown
Americas and the Caribbean
US forces board third Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Indian Ocean
The US military says it tracked the vessel from the Caribbean Sea, before placing it under American control.
25 Feb 2026 - 1:30PM
Pacific nations
How sanctioned Russian oil flows freely via a tiny Pacific island nation
2 Dec 2025 - 12:50PM
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SCMP Highlights
How China is closing tech gap on West; rare earth find: SCMP daily highlights
12 Nov 2025 - 11:28PM
China-New Zealand relations
China and Cook Islands team up on marine survey as rare earths race expands to sea
Nine-day voyage comes just weeks after a US research ship conducts its own survey in the region.
12 Nov 2025 - 10:00AM
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7
New Zealand
New Zealand calls on US to counter China’s Pacific mineral push
New Zealand wants stronger ties with the US to shield Pacific allies from exploitation amid rare earth riches and growing geopolitical threats.
15 Oct 2025 - 7:25PM
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Pacific nations
Will New Zealand’s ‘patronising’ aid freeze push Cook Islands closer to China?
The funding cut leaves the Cook Islands facing a sudden financial shortfall, prompting warnings that Wellington’s approach could backfire.
29 Jun 2025 - 8:00AM
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Pacific nations
A drop in the ocean? Pacific nations tap local know-how for marine conservation
Among the measures being taken are a ban on fishing and mining activities in vast marine protected areas.
27 Jun 2025 - 9:30AM
China-New Zealand relations
‘No conflict of interest’ between China and New Zealand, Xi tells Luxon
New Zealand leader’s China trip focuses on trade and tourism, but differences over Pacific island ties cast a shadow.
20 Jun 2025 - 6:57PM
New Zealand
Cook Islands slams ‘patronising’ New Zealand over China deals
Prime Minister Mark Brown said the agreements did not ‘compromise’ his country’s sovereignty.
20 Jun 2025 - 2:16PM
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New Zealand
New Zealand suspends US$11 million Cook Islands funding over China deal
Wellington urged its neighbour to ‘take concrete steps to repair the relationship and restore trust’.
19 Jun 2025 - 3:48PM
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China-Australia relations
New Zealand FM meets China’s Wang Yi in Beijing, raises PLA live-fire drills
The Chinese foreign minister tells Winston Peters that the two countries should trust each other and address differences through dialogue.
27 Feb 2025 - 7:27PM
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Diplomacy
Opinion
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New Zealand need not fear China’s growing ties with Pacific nations
Rather than falling victim to zero-sum illusions, the West must embrace the multiplex nature of Pacific diplomacy.
25 Feb 2025 - 5:30AM
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Tourism
Where to travel in 2024, according to the experts – and where to avoid
Set-jetting will be a trend in 2024, reckons Expedia – Thailand may draw White Lotus 3 fans, for example. Lonely Planet wants sustainable travel to be a theme; places to avoid the crowds are a thing too.
22 Dec 2023 - 7:41AM
Pacific nations
Australia-Tuvalu treaty sparks fears of population drain, threat to sovereignty
Australia’s agreement with Tuvalu may provide younger locals with a migration pathway but is seen by older islanders as an encroachment of sovereignty.
2 Dec 2023 - 5:31PM
Pacific nations
Solomon Islands hosts China-funded Pacific Games amid big-power rivalry
Solomon Islands’ PM Manasseh Sogavare has alarmed the West with his pro-Beijing engagement and increasingly authoritarian reflexes. He told This Week in Asia that Honiara’s ties with China ‘were never better’.
21 Nov 2023 - 12:14PM
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Pacific nations
Cracks emerge in Pacific island unity as leaders skip meet amid US-China rivalry
The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week’s annual Pacific Islands Forum, which also counts Australia and New Zealand among its members.
6 Nov 2023 - 3:27PM
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Pacific nations
China’s Pacific aid mostly goes to its allies, Australian think tank says
China’s declining aid to the South Pacific is increasingly targeted towards its political allies as the region’s appetite for Chinese credit declines and competition grows with the US for influence, the Lowy Institute reported on Tuesday.
31 Oct 2023 - 4:20PM
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Pacific nations
US deal with Marshall Islands lapses without renewal, but talks continue
The Compact of Free Association pact, which has steered ties between Washington and the Marshall Islands since 1986, expired on Saturday.
3 Oct 2023 - 6:40AM
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United States
My Take
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What independence really means for two tiny Pacific island states
Self-governing Cook Islands and Niue have exchanged their freedom in political association with New Zealand for dominated status under the United States.
29 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM
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Pacific nations
US throws weight behind new Pacific undersea cable to fend off China influence
The Central Pacific Cable would connect American Samoa with Guam and extend to up to 12 more Pacific islands.
28 Sep 2023 - 11:42AM
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Pacific nations
China-friendly Solomons PM says he snubbed US summit to avoid ‘lecture’
Manasseh Sogavare said he attended a similar meeting last year where ‘they give you three minutes to talk and then you go and listen to them lecture you about how good they are’
28 Sep 2023 - 9:17AM
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My Take
My Take
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Why Beijing’s security pact with Solomons has been a huge blunder
Islands provide perfect example of ‘China threat’ for US and its allies as they then turn central and south Pacific into their sphere of influence.
27 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM
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US-China relations
Biden unveils Pacific nations aid, embassies as Solomons PM sits out
American leader extols ‘security, prosperity and dignity’ for Oceanic allies and partners in latest response to China’s decades-long inroads in region.
26 Sep 2023 - 6:25AM
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US-China relations
My Take
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Claims by US over central Pacific now rival those of Beijing in South China Sea
Washington’s new pacts with three island states will establish a second island chain of attack as a complete sphere of influence in breach of international law and its own interpretation of freedom of navigation.
25 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM
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Pacific nations
Tiny Cook Islands, Niue to get US embassies amid Biden’s powered-up Pacific push
Fewer than 2,000 people call isolated Niue home, while the Cook Islands have a permanent population well under 20,000. Biden has put a premium on improving Pacific ties amid rising US concern about China’s influence.
25 Sep 2023 - 6:53PM
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Pacific nations
US ‘back in force’ in Pacific as Biden engages with regional leaders at summit
The White House is hosting Pacific island leaders on Monday as Biden promises to take US engagement in region to ‘next level’ but there are notable absences from the meeting.
25 Sep 2023 - 3:26AM
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US-China relations
Biden to meet Pacific Island nations as US-China attention stays high
Summit between American president and region’s leaders will be second in a year as Washington seeks to counter Beijing’s push for clout.
26 Oct 2023 - 1:51AM
Taiwan
Closer unofficial ties? Taiwanese coastguard ship docks in Japan
While on fishery patrol mission Hsun Hu No 8 docks at Harumi Wharf in Tokyo ‘for routine maintenance and supply’.
9 Aug 2023 - 9:09PM
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