New Zealand has suspended NZ$18.2 million (U.S. $10.8 million) in budget funding to the Cook Islands amid growing tensions over the island nation’s deepening ties with China and concerns over a lack of transparency.
New Zealand halted core sector support funding for the Cook Islands for 2025-26, citing the need for a high-trust bilateral relationship that has been strained by the Cook Islands’ increasing partnership with China.
The suspension follows concerns over inadequate consultation on agreements the Cook Islands signed with Beijing, particularly in areas excluding security cooperation.
New Zealand demands concrete steps to restore trust before resuming financial support. The move comes amid Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s visit to China, where he is expected to raise issues about China’s growing influence in the Pacific.
The Cook Islands affirmed its commitment to repairing relations with New Zealand and reiterated the longstanding partnership on security and defence.
Experts warn that using aid as leverage could backfire by pushing Pacific nations closer to China.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed in Beijing on Sunday to tighten coordination in forums from the U.N....
Three new sites in Africa — Malawi’s Mount Mulanje, Cameroon’s Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape, and the Bijagos Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau — ...
Sotheby’s in New York is set to auction the largest known piece of Mars ever found on Earth—a 54-pound (24.67 kg) meteorite named NWA 16788....
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began his visit to China on Saturday by arriving in Shanghai with a large business delegation, highlighting...
A fire at a high-rise apartment building in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, has killed three people — including a three-and-a-half-month-old baby — ...
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed in Beijing on Sunday to tighten coordination in forums from the U.N. to the G20 while reviewing prospects for ending the war in Ukraine and managing strained ties with the United States.
Three new sites in Africa — Malawi’s Mount Mulanje, Cameroon’s Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape, and the Bijagos Archipelago of Guinea-Bissau — have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sotheby’s in New York is set to auction the largest known piece of Mars ever found on Earth—a 54-pound (24.67 kg) meteorite named NWA 16788.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began his visit to China on Saturday by arriving in Shanghai with a large business delegation, highlighting the importance of economic relations between the two countries.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Dozens of international and domestic flights were cancelled or delayed after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted on Monday, but Bali’s main airport remains operational.
French member of parliament Olivier Marleix was found dead at his home on Monday, with suicide being considered a possible cause.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang will brief reporters in Beijing on 16 July, his second China trip this year, as Washington’s export bans squeeze the graphics-chip maker’s biggest foreign market.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed in Beijing on Sunday to tighten coordination in forums from the U.N. to the G20 while reviewing prospects for ending the war in Ukraine and managing strained ties with the United States.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began his visit to China on Saturday by arriving in Shanghai with a large business delegation, highlighting the importance of economic relations between the two countries.
A fire at a high-rise apartment building in Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, has killed three people — including a three-and-a-half-month-old baby — and left dozens suffering from smoke inhalation, according to local media.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will visit Britain’s King Charles III from 17 to 19 September, Buckingham Palace announced Sunday.
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