New Zealand need not fear China’s growing ties with Pacific nations
China's recent signing of a "strategic partnership" with the Cook Islands has sparked concern, particularly in New Zealand, given its close ties with the island nation. This move follows China's increasing engagement in the Pacific, including a security agreement with the Solomon Islands in 2022 and a previously proposed agreement involving 10 Pacific countries, which faced resistance and was ultimately put on hold.
The agreement has triggered alarm in the Anglosphere, with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressing his displeasure at being kept "in the dark." Commentators have voiced stronger concerns, suggesting China is attempting to establish a new order in the Pacific and drive a wedge between the Cook Islands and New Zealand. This reaction highlights the prevalence of traditional geopolitical analysis, framing the situation as a zero-sum game of great power competition, reminiscent of a "new cold war." However, alternative perspectives, such as the theory of multiplexity, offer a different lens for understanding these shifts in the Pacific.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
China's recent signing of a "strategic partnership" with the Cook Islands has sparked concern, particularly in New Zealand, given its close ties with the island nation. This move follows China's increasing engagement in the Pacific, including a security agreement with the Solomon Islands in 2022 and a previously proposed agreement involving 10 Pacific countries, which faced resistance and was ultimately put on hold.
The agreement has triggered alarm in the Anglosphere, with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressing his displeasure at being kept "in the dark." Commentators have voiced stronger concerns, suggesting China is attempting to establish a new order in the Pacific and drive a wedge between the Cook Islands and New Zealand. This reaction highlights the prevalence of traditional geopolitical analysis, framing the situation as a zero-sum game of great power competition, reminiscent of a "new cold war." However, alternative perspectives, such as the theory of multiplexity, offer a different lens for understanding these shifts in the Pacific.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
