China, the Cook Islands – and New Zealand’s struggle for influence in the Pacific

By signing a deal with Beijing, the Cook Islands is asserting its independence – in a stark challenge to New Zealand’s Pacific strategy

Reading Time:4 minutes

The Cook Islands, with its population of around 15,000, is a self-governing nation in free association with New Zealand. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 12:00pm, 12 Feb 2025Updated: 2:15pm, 12 Feb 2025

The Cook Islands, long tethered to New Zealand, is charting its own course – deepening ties with China in a move that has left Wellington “blindsided” and scrambling to reclaim its footing.

At the heart of the matter is a major deal set to be signed between the Cook Islands and China this week, one that observers have called a “diplomatic victory” for Beijing and a potential turning point in the region’s geopolitical landscape.

Prime Minister Mark Brown of the Cook Islands headed to Beijing on Monday to finalise the details of the comprehensive strategic partnership, an agreement that China insists is not meant to unsettle the region.

“The relationship between China and the Cook Islands is not directed against any third party and should not be subject to or disrupted by any third party,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun speaks at a press conference in Beijing last month. Photo: EPA-EFE

But behind the polished diplomatic language lies the complex reality of China’s growing influence in the Pacific, which has alarmed the United States and its allies. Critics argue that Beijing is leveraging its economic might and diplomatic sway to assert dominance in a region long considered a Western stronghold.