New Zealand’s abrupt suspension of aid has cast a harsh spotlight on the country’s growing unease over China’s expanding Pacific footprint, drawing warnings from regional observers that the move risks appearing “coercive rather than constructive”.
“We’ve suspended some of the aid money until we can get clarity on those issues,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said from Shanghai during his first official visit to China.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown hit back the next day by accusing Wellington of being “patronising”, contending that the relationship should be “defined by partnership, not paternalism”.
In parliament, Brown defended his government’s engagement with Beijing, insisting that these ties did not “compromise” the islands’ independence and stressing that no military or defence arrangements had been made.
