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Cook Islands

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Cook Islands. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Avarua

Head of State

King Charles III

Head of Government

Prime Minister Mark Brown

last updated:

27 September, 2024

Twin towers of Viru Gate in the old town of Tallinn, Estonia Photo: Shutterstock

Tourism

Where to travel in 2024, according to the experts – and where to avoid

Set-jetting will be a trend in 2024, reckons Expedia – Thailand may draw White Lotus 3 fans, for example. Lonely Planet wants sustainable travel to be a theme; places to avoid the crowds are a thing too.

22 Dec 2023 - 7:41AM

Pacific nations

Australia-Tuvalu treaty sparks fears of population drain, threat to sovereignty

2 Dec 2023 - 5:31PM

Pacific nations

Solomon Islands hosts China-funded Pacific Games amid big-power rivalry

21 Nov 2023 - 12:14PM

Pacific nations

Cracks emerge in Pacific island unity as leaders skip meet amid US-China rivalry

The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week’s annual Pacific Islands Forum, which also counts Australia and New Zealand among its members.

6 Nov 2023 - 3:27PMvideocam

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (front) takes a selfie with fellow leaders during last year’s Pacific Islands Forum. Photo: AFP

Pacific nations

China’s Pacific aid mostly goes to its allies, Australian think tank says

China’s declining aid to the South Pacific is increasingly targeted towards its political allies as the region’s appetite for Chinese credit declines and competition grows with the US for influence, the Lowy Institute reported on Tuesday.

31 Oct 2023 - 4:20PM

Pacific nations

US deal with Marshall Islands lapses without renewal, but talks continue

The Compact of Free Association pact, which has steered ties between Washington and the Marshall Islands since 1986, expired on Saturday.

3 Oct 2023 - 6:40AMvideocam

United States

My Take | What independence really means for two tiny Pacific island states

Self-governing Cook Islands and Niue have exchanged their freedom in political association with New Zealand for dominated status under the United States.

29 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM

President Joe Biden speaks during the US-Pacific Island Country Summit at the State Department in Washington, September 29, 2022. Photo: AP Photo

Pacific nations

US throws weight behind new Pacific undersea cable to fend off China influence

The Central Pacific Cable would connect American Samoa with Guam and extend to up to 12 more Pacific islands.

28 Sep 2023 - 11:42AMvideocam

Pacific nations

China-friendly Solomons PM says he snubbed US summit to avoid ‘lecture’

Manasseh Sogavare said he attended a similar meeting last year where ‘they give you three minutes to talk and then you go and listen to them lecture you about how good they are’

28 Sep 2023 - 9:17AM

My Take

My Take | Why Beijing’s security pact with Solomons has been a huge blunder

Islands provide perfect example of ‘China threat’ for US and its allies as they then turn central and south Pacific into their sphere of influence.

27 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM

FILE : Ships are docked offshore in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands on November 24, 2018. Photo: AP

US-China relations

Biden unveils Pacific nations aid, embassies as Solomons PM sits out

American leader extols ‘security, prosperity and dignity’ for Oceanic allies and partners in latest response to China’s decades-long inroads in region.

26 Sep 2023 - 6:25AM

US President Joe Biden walks to join a photo opportunity with Pacific Islands Forum leaders at the White House on Monday. Photo: Photo: ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

US-China relations

My Take | Claims by US over central Pacific now rival those of Beijing in South China Sea

Washington’s new pacts with three island states will establish a second island chain of attack as a complete sphere of influence in breach of international law and its own interpretation of freedom of navigation.

25 Sep 2023 - 9:00PM

Pacific nations

Tiny Cook Islands, Niue to get US embassies amid Biden’s powered-up Pacific push

Fewer than 2,000 people call isolated Niue home, while the Cook Islands have a permanent population well under 20,000. Biden has put a premium on improving Pacific ties amid rising US concern about China’s influence.

25 Sep 2023 - 6:53PMvideocam

Pacific nations

US ‘back in force’ in Pacific as Biden engages with regional leaders at summit

The White House is hosting Pacific island leaders on Monday as Biden promises to take US engagement in region to ‘next level’ but there are notable absences from the meeting.

25 Sep 2023 - 3:26AMvideocam

US President Joe Biden poses with leaders from the US-Pacific Island Country Summit at the White House in Washington on Sept. 29, 2022. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

Biden to meet Pacific Island nations as US-China attention stays high

Summit between American president and region’s leaders will be second in a year as Washington seeks to counter Beijing’s push for clout.

26 Oct 2023 - 1:51AM

US President Joe Biden disembarks from Air Force One in New York on Sunday ahead of the United Nations General Assembly. Photo: AP

Taiwan

Closer unofficial ties? Taiwanese coastguard ship docks in Japan

While on fishery patrol mission Hsun Hu No 8 docks at Harumi Wharf in Tokyo ‘for routine maintenance and supply’.

9 Aug 2023 - 9:09PMvideocam

New Zealand

Western powers question New Zealand’s ‘reliability’ amid wavering China stance

Wellington’s attempts to maintain ‘a de facto non-alignment policy’ towards China are ‘rapidly becoming non-viable’, one analyst said – even as New Zealand strives to emphasise ‘open and honest dialogue’ in its ‘complex’ ties with Beijing.

19 Jul 2023 - 10:55AMvideocam

Pacific nations

Biden picks China specialist for ambassador to Marshall Islands

The nominee, Laura Stone, is a Chinese speaker and previously worked as acting deputy assistant secretary for China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mongolia.

12 Jul 2023 - 8:22AM

A tropical atoll in the Marshall Islands. Photo: Shutterstock

South Korea

South Korea’s ‘pro-US’ Pacific tilt triggers alarm, warnings in China

President Yoon Suk-yeol’s Pacific overtures reflect his desire for South Korea to become a ‘global pivotal state’ with a ‘bold’ foreign policy – but could it turn into a ‘nightmare’?

17 Jun 2023 - 9:30AMvideocam

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South Korea

South Korea hosts its first summit with Pacific island leaders amid China concerns

President Yoon Suk Yeol Yoon launched his strategy last year, pledging to foster a ‘free, peaceful and prosperous’ region amid concerns about China’s security ambitions for the strategic waters.

29 May 2023 - 8:26PM

India

Can India be ‘Global South champion’ amid US-China rivalry in the Pacific?

Narendra Modi says India will be a reliable partner, as New Delhi banks on goodwill from historical links with Pacific nations to make further inroads into the region.

24 May 2023 - 10:39AMvideocam

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape (left) receives India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation at APEC Haus in Port Moresby. Photo: Government of Papua New Guinea/AFP

US-China relations

As US Congress debates budget, Pacific island nations watch with concern

US President Joe Biden has pledged generous funding for tuna treaty and other regional initiatives in a bid to offset China’s growing influence, but Republicans seek cuts in foreign aid.

26 Apr 2023 - 1:38AMvideocam

US President Joe Biden, centre, and Pacific Island leaders during the US-Pacific Island Country Summit at the White House on September 29, 2022. Photo: UPI/Bloomberg

Pacific nations

Pacific region lags in LGBTQ rights despite Cook Islands ending gay sex ban

The Cook Islands follows other Pacific Island nations in wiping colonial-era sodomy laws from the statutes, beginning with the Marshall Islands in 2005.

25 Apr 2023 - 5:43AMvideocam

Tourism

‘Opens eyes and minds’: the wondrous world of underwater photography

A growing crop of underwater photographers are bringing to light issues relating to marine behaviour and conservation, spending years learning to dive and perfect their photography.

6 Apr 2023 - 11:04AM

Japan

Japan FM discusses China, security in visit to Solomon Islands

Yoshimasa Hayashi’s trip is the first time a Japanese FM has headed to the island state, which last year signed a security pact with Beijing.

19 Mar 2023 - 5:19PMvideocam

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who is on an official visit to the Solomon Islands. File photo: Kyodo

China trade

No longer ‘hole of Asia-Pacific doughnut’, South Pacific eyes China trade deal

Talks are being explored as the South Pacific is no longer regarded as the ‘hole of the Asia-Pacific doughnut’, and China is looking to cement an economic foothold in the region.

16 Mar 2023 - 7:57AMvideocam

Pacific Island countries, many impoverished and saddled by high costs because of their remote locations, have said they want foreign help that creates jobs and revives tourism. Photo: AFP

Pacific nations

Opinion | Resistance to Chinese backed mega-tourism projects growing in the Pacific

There has been opposition to a US$300 million mega-project proposed by Chinese developers due to its proximity to one of the few remaining mangrove forests near the Fijian capital of Suva.

8 Mar 2023 - 5:00AMvideocam

Pacific nations

US moves to reopen Solomon Islands embassy to counter China

It will initially be staffed by 2 American diplomats at 5 local employees at a cost of US$1.8 million, with plans for an expanded facility in the future.

5 Jan 2023 - 4:11AMvideocam

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