The US has begun talks with Cook Islands to support seabed mineral research amid rising Chinese influence in the Pacific.
The US has begun talks with Cook Islands to support seabed mineral research amid rising Chinese influence in the Pacific.
The United States has officially commenced discussions with the Cook Islands on supporting research into seabed mineral exploration and development within the Pacific nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the US State Department announced on Tuesday.
Located halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, the Cook Islands consist of 15 islands and atolls, and have emerged as a point of interest amid growing global competition over critical mineral resources.
“The Government of the United States of America has begun discussions with the Government of the Cook Islands to support the research necessary to inform seabed exploration and responsible development,” the State Department said in a statement.
The move is seen as part of broader US efforts to reassert its presence in the Pacific Islands, a region where Western influence has faced growing challenges from China. In recent years, Beijing has secured a series of defence, trade, and financial agreements with several Pacific nations, prompting concern among traditional allies including the US and New Zealand.
According to the statement, US-linked firms are already playing a leading role in seabed mineral research and exploration activities in the Cook Islands.
The announcement follows diplomatic strain between the Cook Islands and New Zealand. In June, New Zealand suspended millions of dollars in budget aid to the Cook Islands after its Prime Minister entered into partnership agreements with China without prior consultation with Wellington. Those agreements included commitments to deepen cooperation in areas such as seabed mining, education, fisheries, infrastructure, and disaster management.
Responding to the US-Cook Islands discussions, New Zealand’s foreign ministry acknowledged the new development and said it respects “the rights and responsibilities of states to manage their mineral resources.”
Though self-governing since 1965, the Cook Islands remain in free association with New Zealand, a constitutional arrangement that traditionally mandates mutual consultation on foreign affairs, security, and defence issues.
As deep-sea mining continues to raise both economic hopes and environmental concerns globally, the Cook Islands’ vast undersea resource potential has placed it at the centre of an emerging geopolitical and ecological debate.
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