The Cook Islands’ prime minister survived a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, blaming “misinformation” from former colonial ruler New Zealand for destabilising his Pacific country.
The parliament voted 13-to-9 against the motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister Mark Brown’s government, sparked by a partnership deal he signed with China.
The agreement, sealed during a state visit to China this month, irked New Zealand’s government and worried some Cook Islanders keen to maintain close ties with Wellington.
But Brown said New Zealand media had sold short his consultation with Wellington on the China accord, as well as overblowing his now-defunct plan for a “symbolic” Cook Islands passport.
“This constant media barrage, Mr Speaker, has now led to destabilisation in our country,” he told parliament.
“This motion of no confidence has been built on misinformation.”
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian did not address the no-confidence vote directly when asked about it at a regular press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
“China is willing to develop friendly and cooperative relations with the Cook Islands and other Pacific Island countries on the basis of mutual respect and equality,” he said.
The self-governing Cook Islands, a country of 17,000 people, has a “free association” relationship with New Zealand, which provides budgetary assistance as well as helping on foreign affairs and defence.
Its people hold New Zealand citizenship.
New Zealand has alleged a lack of consultation and transparency from the Cook Islands government over the five-year “action plan” for a comprehensive strategic partnership that was signed with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Brown said his government had consulted “for months” with Wellington about the agreement, “but the messaging that goes out is that we never consult.”
The Cook Islands had also given assurances that the passport proposal — meant as a “symbolic passport of identity”, not a travel document — was now “a dead matter”, he said.
But Wellington, “through its New Zealand media”, had still repeatedly made clear it was unhappy with “how we are expressing our self-determination”.
“It becomes very clear this is not about consultation. This is about control,” Brown said.
“We never once talked to the New Zealand government about cutting our ties with New Zealand, but the message that our people received is that we are cutting our ties with New Zealand.”
The Cook Islands’ leader took a shot at New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters for urging a “reset” in ties in a speech last week, citing “challenges in the government-to-government relationship”.
“He has made this announcement without talking to me or any of our officials at all,” Brown said.
“We are being spoken to, rather than spoken with, on a matter as important and fundamental as our free association relationship.”
A spokesperson for New Zealand’s foreign minister said members of the Cook Islands parliament had the absolute right to free speech.
“Accordingly, we have no further comment to make.”
