New Zealand halts funding to Cook Islands over China deal

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - New Zealand has suspended NZ$18.2 million ($10.9 million) in development funding for the Cook Islands over its signing of a partnership agreement with China earlier this year without consulting it, local media reported Thursday.

Although New Zealand informed the Cook Islands government in early June that it had decided to suspend the core support funding, it only became public Thursday, state broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.

The development comes as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is currently in China on his first official visit and is due to meet with President Xi Jinping shortly.

The Cook Islands signed a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with China in February.

The pact, signed by Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang in Beijing, covers several areas including education, the economy, infrastructure, fisheries, disaster management and seabed mining.

The Cook Islands, which operates in free association with New Zealand, governs its own affairs, but Wellington provides assistance with foreign affairs upon request, disaster relief and defense.

New Zealand has provided around NZ$200 million to the Cook Islands through the development program over the past three years.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters told reporters Thursday that the Cook Islands has failed to give "satisfactory answers" to Wellington's questions about its agreement with China, and so the decision to pause the funding was made.

"We have made it very clear in our response to statements that were being made...what New Zealand's position is, on behalf of the Cook Islands people, who we have responsibilities to, and above all to the New Zealand taxpayers to whom we are answerable," he said.

In 2023, China and the Solomon Islands signed a police cooperation deal under their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Brown has assured New Zealand “over and over” that the Cook Islands’ agreement with China would not affect their relationship or security.

*Writing by Aamir Latif