Cook Islands faces pivotal election as PM defends China ties and economic record

As Cook Islanders head to the polls, Prime Minister Mark Brown defended his administration’s economic turnaround, citing a halved debt load and more than 10% yearly growth since the pandemic-hit tourism sector was revived. He explained that the 2025 strategic partnership with Beijing and a recent defence and security agreement with New Zealand were negotiated to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty while diversifying trade.

Brown stressed that deep-sea mining research is still in its exploratory phase and that any extraction will only proceed if environmental impacts are proven safe. Opposition candidate Teariki Heather, who organized protests against the China deal, accused Brown of secrecy and urged a more modest approach to the long-standing New Zealand relationship. Political observers say the election will signal how the Cook Islands balances ties with New Zealand, China and other partners such as India, South Korea, Japan and the United States.