China has “no fundamental conflict of interest” with New Zealand, President Xi Jinping told New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Beijing on Friday while calling for the constructive management of differences. “Both sides should adhere to mutual respect, seek common ground while acknowledging differences, and correctly view and manage their differences and disagreements,” Xi…
Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday that Beijing had “no fundamental conflicts of interest” with New Zealand, as he welcomed Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on an official visit.Luxon’s trip comes at a time of tension with New Zealand’s close partner the Cook Islands over its ties with Beijing.The self-governing Pacific island nation has a…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand has halted millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands over the “breadth and content” of agreements the smaller Pacific nation made with China, officials from the New Zealand Foreign Minister’s office said Thursday. New Zealand, which is the smaller Pacific nation’s biggest funder, won’t consider any…
By Christine Chen Cook Islands PM survives no-confidence vote over China pact Feb 26 – Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown survived on Wednesday a vote of no confidence in parliament brought by the opposition over deals he struck with China that strained relations with New Zealand. Members of parliament voted 13-9 to defeat the…
The Cook Islands said Saturday it has struck a five-year agreement with China to cooperate in exploring and researching the Pacific nation’s seabed mineral riches. A copy of the deal — signed during a state visit to China that has been criticised by former colonial ruler New Zealand — showed it covers working together in…
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Wednesday his country must “reset” its relationship with the Cook Islands government after its Pacific neighbor signed agreements with China without consultation. In a speech to the Pacific Island Political Science Association in Wellington, Peters said Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s opaque dealings with Beijing was…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The South Pacific country of Cook Islands on Tuesday unveiled the details of a deal with China to boost cooperation on matters including mining seabed minerals, after the pact provoked a rare diplomatic clash with the nation’s chief benefactor, New Zealand, and protests at home. The public quarrel between New…
China hoped to increase “political trust” and belt and road cooperation with the Cook Islands, Premier Li Qiang told his visiting counterpart Mark Brown when they met on Friday. Multiple cooperation agreements were signed during the meeting in the northeastern city of Harbin, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, without offering details. “China is willing to…
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — China and the Cook Islands on Friday signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, but the lack of transparency around the details has alarmed New Zealand, the South Pacific state’s closest democratic ally. While details of the agreement remain unclear, public statements from Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and the islands’ Seabed…
SYDNEY (Reuters) -The Cook Islands said on Saturday that it signed a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with China, a move expected to raise concerns in New Zealand with which it has constitutional ties. Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and Chinese Premier Li Qiang signed the deal in Harbin, the capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang…