Far from satisfied, near concerned

Hawaii [US], February 17: The archipelago lies between the US state of Hawaii and New Zealand. China's close ties with the Cook Islands are seen as establishing a new outpost for its rivalry for influence and role as well as competing strategic interests in the South Pacific and the wider Indo- Pacific region.
For New Zealand, the upgrade of relations between China and the Cook Islands raises concerns that the relationship between New Zealand and the islands is no longer as close and trustworthy as before. The Cook Islands has a very special relationship with New Zealand, with New Zealand committing to guarantee security as well as financial aid to cover its annual budget. The US, Australia, and New Zealand are competing with China for role and influence in the South Pacific island nations. And now the Cook Islands has established a very high level of bilateral cooperation with China.
As for China, it is certain that this country will spend a large amount of financial aid and investment in the Cook Islands. Only then can China compete with the US, Australia and New Zealand for influence in the region. This is also the step to deploy the current long-term strategy in the Indo-Pacific. In the context of the new US administration making many new decisions, upgrading the relationship to the above very high level with the Cook Islands is all the more important, valuable and necessary for China.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper