A standoff between New Zealand and the Cook Islands reflects an urgent question in the Pacific: Is China a threat or a partner for growth?
Tag: Cook Islands
The Tiny Nation at the Vanguard of Mining the Ocean Floor
Below the waters of the Cook Islands, population 15,000, lie minerals used to power electric cars. Extracting them could bring riches, but many say it’s a bad idea.
The International Date Line Is ‘Pretty Arbitrary.’ Here’s Why.
That squiggly line through the Pacific where days begin and end has no legal authority and technically doesn’t exist.
In Move to Protect Whales, Polynesian Indigenous Groups Give Them ‘Personhood’
Indigenous leaders of New Zealand, Tahiti and the Cook Islands signed a treaty that recognizes whales as legal persons. Conservationists hope it will lead to legal protections.
U.S. Recognition of Tiny Pacific Country Reshapes Its New Zealand Ties
The American move to recognize the Cook Islands as a sovereign state is evidence of how the U.S.-China competition is realigning Pacific politics.
Disney Shanghai temporarily shuts down as Omicron surges in China.
The move came amid growing restrictions on travel and entertainment across China as the government tries to stamp out the Omicron variant.
A remote island nation confronts its first confirmed coronavirus case.
The case in the Cook Islands emerged a month after the country reopened its air borders to travelers from New Zealand.
Future of Pacific Islands Forum Is in Doubt After Palau’s Exit
The future of an 18-nation group is in doubt after Palau abandoned it over a leadership dispute.
Cook Islands Considering Changing Its Name to Reflect Polynesian Heritage
The 15-island country is named for a British explorer, but a member of the committee looking at the issue said that “now we can have a name we choose.”