Around 400 demonstrators, led by opposition parties, assembled outside the Cook Islands parliament in capital Avarua on Tuesday to protest against the prime minister’s recent deal with China, which has sparked a diplomatic row with New Zealand.
The Cook Islands recently unveiled the terms of its strategic partnership with China, covering areas like deep-sea mining and education, disaster relief, and cultural ties, though it does not specifically mention security. The deal, signed during a recent historic visit to China by prime minister Mark Brown, has sparked domestic protests and criticism over a lack of transparency.
