New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Wednesday that his country would have to “reset” his relations with the Cook Islands government after his Pacific neighbor signed agreement With China without consultation.
In a speech by the Pacific Island Political Science Association in Wellington, Peters stated that Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown’s opaque behavior with Beijing was the latest to test the constitutional relationship with New Zealand.
“While the relationship between Cook Islands and the people of New Zealand is completely strong, we currently face challenges in government-to-government relations,” he said.
“We need a government-to-government relationship.”
Cook Islands is a self-government nation and has a free connection with Wellington, which shares the head of the state and the rights of citizenship. It belongs to independent foreign policy, but it is necessary for both countries to consult on security, defense and foreign policy issues.
As a result of Brown’s visit to Beijing this month Strategic participation with China Spread education, economy, infrastructure, fisheries, disaster management and seabed mining.
it’s off Alarm bells in New Zealand Due to concerns with China’s increasing presence in the region and potential threat to the country’s national security.
While the Cook Islands government has released a details of the strategic partnership, Peters said that New Zealand had not seen several memorandums signed with China.
Peters said, “People of New Zealand and Cook Islands live, till this evening, in the darkness, but an agreement signed by China and cooks last week,” said Peters.
Brown deal with China tries by cooks Make your own passport And citizenship, a proposal New Zealand said that the islands would need to be completely independent to do it.
Separately, Peters addressed Tension with Kirbati Its government canceled a planned journey by New Zealand officials on a short notice.
Kiribati has signed a series of bilateral deals with China in recent years.
Peters said Wellington had performed more than $ 57 million to assist the Pacific Island nation in the last three years and was needed to assure how money is called.
