Cook Island's Prime Minister, Mike Brown is traveling to Beijing today, where he's expected to sign a major partnership deal between the Cook Islands and China. Our government, of course, has been completely blindsided by this, and there's still questions around whether constitutional arrangements have been breached. And many of the residents of the Cook Islands are also saying, what's in the deal, but Mike's not telling us. International relations expert Jeffrey Millard joins me now, hallo, Jeffrey, good morning, Andrew. Do you know what's in the deal?

Cook Island's Prime Minister, Mike Brown is traveling to Beijing today, where he's expected to sign a major partnership deal between the Cook Islands and China. Our government, of course, has been completely blindsided by this, and there's still questions around whether constitutional arrangements have been breached. And many of the residents of the Cook Islands are also saying, what's in the deal, but Mike's not telling us. International relations expert Jeffrey Millard joins me now, hallo, Jeffrey, good morning, Andrew. Do you know what's in the deal?

Well, we do know some things that are in the deal. Mark Brown has said in his interview with TV and Z that it will be an economics focused deal that will not contain defense and security. It seems likely it's going to be a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with China. New Zealand has one of its own. It has its own comprehensive strategic partnership China agreement that it's signed with China way back in twenty fourteen.

Well, we do know some things that are in the deal. Mark Brown has said in his interview with TV and Z that it will be an economics focused deal that will not contain defense and security. It seems likely it's going to be a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with China. New Zealand has one of its own. It has its own comprehensive strategic partnership China agreement that it's signed with China way back in twenty fourteen.

But this is acceptable that this deal has seemingly remained mostly secret to both the Cook Islands people and the New Zealand government.

But this is acceptable that this deal has seemingly remained mostly secret to both the Cook Islands people and the New Zealand government.

Well, look, Winston Peters is not very happy about it. You would have to say put it mildly. In fact, they put out quite an extraordinary statement Virus spokesperson yesterday saying that New Zealand and the Corck Islands are not seeing eye to eye on a number of issues. And normally these kinds of things that dealt with behind the scenes, but this is now blown up in the media. I think some of these problems really are homegrown though in New Zealand. They go back over across success of New Zealand governments. New Zealand sign and agreement back in two thousand and one that said the Cock Islands was a sovereign and independent state but also should consult on foreign affairs issues. I think Mark Brown's argument will be that he has consulted, and certainly there have been regular consultations between the Corck Islands and New Zealand. This agreement is not about defense and security. There was a special agreement last year signed between the Corcklands and New Zealand which required a consultation on defense and security. This isn't about that. It's going to be about fisheries on an Into Ireland ferry on deep sea mining in the end of Coock Islands, like a lot of Pacific states, simply want development.

Well, look, Winston Peters is not very happy about it. You would have to say put it mildly. In fact, they put out quite an extraordinary statement Virus spokesperson yesterday saying that New Zealand and the Corck Islands are not seeing eye to eye on a number of issues. And normally these kinds of things that dealt with behind the scenes, but this is now blown up in the media. I think some of these problems really are homegrown though in New Zealand. They go back over across success of New Zealand governments. New Zealand sign and agreement back in two thousand and one that said the Cock Islands was a sovereign and independent state but also should consult on foreign affairs issues. I think Mark Brown's argument will be that he has consulted, and certainly there have been regular consultations between the Corck Islands and New Zealand. This agreement is not about defense and security. There was a special agreement last year signed between the Corcklands and New Zealand which required a consultation on defense and security. This isn't about that. It's going to be about fisheries on an Into Ireland ferry on deep sea mining in the end of Coock Islands, like a lot of Pacific states, simply want development.

And if he goes to beating and he signs on the dotted line and he gets the fairies and he gets the deep sea mining and all that sort of thing, is that a done deal or do we have the ability to veto it?

And if he goes to beating and he signs on the dotted line and he gets the fairies and he gets the deep sea mining and all that sort of thing, is that a done deal or do we have the ability to veto it?

No, I don't think New Zealand has any real ability of veto Look. I think the simple message for New Zealand here is that if New Zealand doesn't want Cock Island's going off to China and signing agreement and east the front up was the cash itself, and that was very much the message from Mark Brown that New Zealand's only given sixty million dollars of grant money in the last three years and really the onus is on New Zealand to pay up. And I think we could actually have a useful cooperation here. You remember New Zealand has good friendly relations with China as well. New Zealand is cooperated with China and the Cock Islands in the past on building water infrastructure in Raratonga. So there's no reason why New Zealand can't get together with China and Cock Islands and develop some projects together and work together. Because this is all rather unedifying, and this is turning far turning into a diplomatic debarcle. It was meant to be a celebration this year of sixty years of ties of the Cook Islands and free association with New Zealand.

No, I don't think New Zealand has any real ability of veto Look. I think the simple message for New Zealand here is that if New Zealand doesn't want Cock Island's going off to China and signing agreement and east the front up was the cash itself, and that was very much the message from Mark Brown that New Zealand's only given sixty million dollars of grant money in the last three years and really the onus is on New Zealand to pay up. And I think we could actually have a useful cooperation here. You remember New Zealand has good friendly relations with China as well. New Zealand is cooperated with China and the Cock Islands in the past on building water infrastructure in Raratonga. So there's no reason why New Zealand can't get together with China and Cock Islands and develop some projects together and work together. Because this is all rather unedifying, and this is turning far turning into a diplomatic debarcle. It was meant to be a celebration this year of sixty years of ties of the Cook Islands and free association with New Zealand.

Well said Jeffrey Miller, of course, international relations expert. There are some that say, of course, that Mike Brown is doing this because of the proposal of a separate Cook Islands passport, us taking away the New Zealand passport. Certainly, I love the word unedifying. The whole thing is rather unedifying. For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge.

Well said Jeffrey Miller, of course, international relations expert. There are some that say, of course, that Mike Brown is doing this because of the proposal of a separate Cook Islands passport, us taking away the New Zealand passport. Certainly, I love the word unedifying. The whole thing is rather unedifying. For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge.

Listen live to News Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.

Listen live to News Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.