New Zealand and Cook Islands sign a defense pact, easing tensions over a China deal

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand and Cook Islands signed a defense and security pact Thursday, easing more than a year of tension between the Pacific nations over Cook Islands’ deepening ties with China

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand and Cook Islands signed a defense and security pact Thursday, easing more than a year of tension between the Pacific nations over Cook Islands’ deepening ties with China.

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The fraught diplomatic standoff that prompted Wellington to pause millions of dollars in aid to Avarua was hardly a clash of geopolitical heavyweights: New Zealand has a population of 5 million, while Cook Islands has 15,000 people. But the lengthy freeze gripped Pacific observers because it reflected the struggle confronting tiny island nations with close ties to Western countries such as New Zealand and Australia as they seek to balance their traditional alliances with overtures from Beijing.

In the new declaration, Cook Islands pledged New Zealand would be its “partner of choice regarding defense and security matters,” apparently quashing the prospect, feared by Wellington, of China occupying the role. It resolved “ambiguity” about the two countries’ existing ties, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.