1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Cook Island's Prime Minister, Mike Brown is traveling to Beijing today, 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: where he's expected to sign a major partnership deal between 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: the Cook Islands and China. Our government, of course, has 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: been completely blindsided by this, and there's still questions around 5 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: whether constitutional arrangements have been breached. And many of the 6 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:17,159 Speaker 1: residents of the Cook Islands are also saying, what's in 7 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: the deal, but Mike's not telling us. International relations expert 8 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: Jeffrey Millard joins me now, hallo, Jeffrey, good morning, Andrew. 9 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: Do you know what's in the deal? 10 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 2: Well, we do know some things that are in the deal. 11 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 2: Mark Brown has said in his interview with TV and 12 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 2: Z that it will be an economics focused deal that 13 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,239 Speaker 2: will not contain defense and security. It seems likely it's 14 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 2: going to be a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with China. 15 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 2: New Zealand has one of its own. It has its 16 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 2: own comprehensive strategic partnership China agreement that it's signed with 17 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 2: China way back in twenty fourteen. 18 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: But this is acceptable that this deal has seemingly remained 19 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: mostly secret to both the Cook Islands people and the 20 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: New Zealand government. 21 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 2: Well, look, Winston Peters is not very happy about it. 22 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 2: You would have to say put it mildly. In fact, 23 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 2: they put out quite an extraordinary statement Virus spokesperson yesterday 24 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 2: saying that New Zealand and the Corck Islands are not 25 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 2: seeing eye to eye on a number of issues. And 26 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 2: normally these kinds of things that dealt with behind the scenes, 27 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 2: but this is now blown up in the media. I 28 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 2: think some of these problems really are homegrown though in 29 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 2: New Zealand. They go back over across success of New 30 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 2: Zealand governments. New Zealand sign and agreement back in two 31 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 2: thousand and one that said the Cock Islands was a 32 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 2: sovereign and independent state but also should consult on foreign 33 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 2: affairs issues. I think Mark Brown's argument will be that 34 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 2: he has consulted, and certainly there have been regular consultations 35 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 2: between the Corck Islands and New Zealand. This agreement is 36 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 2: not about defense and security. There was a special agreement 37 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 2: last year signed between the Corcklands and New Zealand which 38 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 2: required a consultation on defense and security. This isn't about that. 39 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 2: It's going to be about fisheries on an Into Ireland 40 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 2: ferry on deep sea mining in the end of Coock Islands, 41 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 2: like a lot of Pacific states, simply want development. 42 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: And if he goes to beating and he signs on 43 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:05,680 Speaker 1: the dotted line and he gets the fairies and he 44 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: gets the deep sea mining and all that sort of thing, 45 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: is that a done deal or do we have the 46 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: ability to veto it? 47 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 2: No, I don't think New Zealand has any real ability 48 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 2: of veto Look. I think the simple message for New 49 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 2: Zealand here is that if New Zealand doesn't want Cock 50 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 2: Island's going off to China and signing agreement and east 51 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 2: the front up was the cash itself, and that was 52 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 2: very much the message from Mark Brown that New Zealand's 53 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 2: only given sixty million dollars of grant money in the 54 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 2: last three years and really the onus is on New 55 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 2: Zealand to pay up. And I think we could actually 56 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 2: have a useful cooperation here. You remember New Zealand has 57 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 2: good friendly relations with China as well. New Zealand is 58 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 2: cooperated with China and the Cock Islands in the past 59 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 2: on building water infrastructure in Raratonga. So there's no reason 60 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 2: why New Zealand can't get together with China and Cock 61 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 2: Islands and develop some projects together and work together. Because 62 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 2: this is all rather unedifying, and this is turning far 63 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 2: turning into a diplomatic debarcle. It was meant to be 64 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 2: a celebration this year of sixty years of ties of 65 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 2: the Cook Islands and free association with New Zealand. 66 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: Well said Jeffrey Miller, of course, international relations expert. There 67 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: are some that say, of course, that Mike Brown is 68 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: doing this because of the proposal of a separate Cook 69 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: Islands passport, us taking away the New Zealand passport. Certainly, 70 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: I love the word unedifying. The whole thing is rather unedifying. 71 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge. 72 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 2: Listen live to News Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, 73 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 2: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.