New Zealand Pauses Cook Islands Funding Over China Deal
The region of Turoa on the Southern side of the Island of Rarotonga, the largest island in the Cook Islands.
Photographer: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
New Zealand has paused development funding to the Cook Islands after the tiny South Pacific nation signed agreements with China without the expected level of consultation.
The strategic partnership agreement signed in February with Beijing includes cooperation on seabed mining and the establishment of diplomatic missions. While the Cook Islands is a self-governing state, it is part of the realm of New Zealand and has a special constitutional relationship with Wellington, its primary development partner.