New Zealand (AP) – New Zealand played millions of dollars in the Cook Islands for agreements, which the smaller Pacific nation made up with China, “officials said Thursday.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is involved in his first official visite, said the Cook Island was not transparent and open about his comprehensive strategic partnership with China.
“We stopped some help money until we could explain those questions,” he said in Shanghai.
The relationship between the smaller peoples of the Pacific islands and their regional supporters in Australia and New Zealand has stumbled in recent years as Beijing has increased its supervisor in the region. The latest step of New Zealand was staggering as it reflects the growing friction between two countries with strong constitutional relationships due to their different approaches to relations with Beijing. The Cook Islands are self -government, but share the military and passports with New Zealand.
The Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown told Parliament’s lawmakers on Thursday that funding was not “suspended, paused” and diminished the value of the frozen amount. New Zealand is the biggest financier of Cook Islands.
Freezing occurs when the NZ leader visits China
News about $ 18.2 million New Zealand ($ 11 million) stopped only when Cook Islands News Outlet saw a brief mention in the government budget document. It is likely that Luxon, who will meet President XI Jinping this week, will seem difficult.
Beijing, who said the transactions were not intended to contradict New Zealand in February, defended their partnership with 15 islands and 15,000 people.
“Both New Zealand and Cook Islands are important Chinese partners,” said GUO Jiakun, a representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing. “Cooperation between the Chinese and Cook Islands is not intended for the third party, nor should any third party be hindered or restrained.”
A report in the Cook Islands Parliament this week has registered a “concern” of the $ 10 million New Zealand ($ 6 million) in the government wallet, which is the first known commemoration of the financial freezing. This money was aimed at the “main sector support” that funded the Cook Islands Health, Education and Tourism Sector, with a Velington audit on how it spent.
This money is $ 200 million. The part of the USD NZ directed to the Cook Islands, which New Zealand has directed a compact of the free association for almost 60 years in the last three years. Cook island leaders with Velington with references with other countries require consultation that can affect New Zealand.
The Chinese Paches were the first serious test of those rules.
Transactions led to resentment in Velington
There is a large and profitable economic zone in the Cook Islands, and the Brown government is exploring the prospects of deep -sea mining activities. The inhabitants of the Cook Islands are free to live and work in New Zealand, which led to anxiety about national security in Velington, when officials learned about the plan of agreements signed in February.
The agreements did not promise the security of the Beijing and Cook Islands Cooperation, but they promised more funding for Chinese infrastructure projects and education scholarships. Not all Brown’s signed documents were made public.
Peters, a spokesman for the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday that the agreements showed the “understanding gap” among the governments “about what our special free association relationships require,” where consultations were consulted to ensure the preservation of common interests.
The lack of “width and content of transactions” and consultation with Velington led them to review funding in the Cook Islands, Peters Office said.
“As a result, New Zealand has paused these benefits and will not think that a large new funding until the Cook Islands government has taken concrete action to meet the relationship and restore confidence,” the spokesman said.
The Cook Islands PM rejected concern
In February, Brown said the transactions “did not change our long -term relationship with New Zealand, Australia and others, but rather supplement, ensuring that we have a diversified partnership portfolio.” Avarua, the capital, led by opposition lawmakers, prompted the knowledge of agreements in the capital.
On Thursday, Brown pointed to the Luxon China’s visit, emphasizing the New Zealand leader’s reports of increased trade with Beijing and looser visa requirements for Chinese travelers. The leader of the Cook Islands said he trusts all the agreements made by Beijing Luxon, “would not pose any threat to the safety of the Cook Islands,” even though its government is unaware of their content.
The latest action of New Zealand was “completely avoiding the Cook Islands Strategic Flirts with China,” said Mihai Sora, an analyst at the Thinktank Lowy Institute in Australia.
“It is a bit cute to register for a comprehensive strategic partnership with China in 2025 and pretend that the Beijing strategic corner is not, taking into account all the evidence of China’s malignant strategic intention in the Pacific,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu Beijing contributed to this report.