Hundreds of protesters marched in the Cook Island parliament to oppose Prime Minister Mark Brown's recent decision.
Around 400 protesters led by the opposition gathered outside the capital Abarua on Tuesday, the RNZ reported, with some holding signs that read, “We will maintain ties with New Zealand.” Others wavy placards showing New Zealand passport against Brown's now abandoned Brown Controversial proposals It requires holders to waive their New Zealand passport to introduce an independent Cook Island passport that New Zealand warned.
“We have no problem with the government being willing to seek assistance,” said opposition leader Tina Brown. “We are in trouble when we are at risk of our sovereignty and our relationship with New Zealand.”
Last week, the prime minister signed an “Action Plan for a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang in a city in northern Harbin during a five-day state visit to China. Brown said the agreement would set up a framework for involvement in areas such as trade, investment, marine science, infrastructure and transportation.
After returning from China on Monday, Brown told reporters he would release details of the deal soon, telling China would provide one-off grants to 17,000 Pacific countries to roughly $4 million.
“Our ministries are closely watching where they look to allocate funds as part of a project or initiative that we may want to promote, and at this stage, we will be able to see what we look to. It looks like it's mostly in the renewable energy sector,” Brown said. Cook Island News.
The Autonomous Cook Islands have a “free connection” relationship with New Zealand. It provides budgetary support, and supports diplomacy and defense. Its citizens retain New Zealand citizenship.
New Zealand has expressed “significant concerns” about the lack of transparency over travel amid growing concern over China's influence in the region, and Brown appropriately states that New Zealand officials have said about the deal. I warned that I couldn't talk to you. Special constitutional arrangements Between both countries.
Brown said Wellington shouldn't be concerned after reviewing the deal. Details “will be out online soon, and people will be able to see it for themselves,” he told reporters.
China and the Cook Islands signed several bilateral cooperation documents on the economy, environment, culture and other sectors last week, Harbin's Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Officials from the Cook Islands also said they discussed undersea mineral research with Chinese research institutes during their visit as a Pacific Island. Deep sea mining of metal-rich nodules Nickel and cobalt.
China is competing for strategically important diplomatic, economic and military influences in the Pacific, challenging the influences of Australia, New Zealand and the US in the region.
Xinhua, a Chinese provincial news agency, said earlier that the agreement would “deepen mutual political trust and expand practical cooperation with the Culinary Islands.”
