China and the Cook Islands signed an action plan last week for a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday, giving further details about a deal expected to raise concerns in New Zealand.

China and the Cook Islands have signed an action plan establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership. This agreement, announced by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, focuses on bilateral cooperation and explicitly excludes the influence of third parties.

China and the Cook Islands have signed an action plan for a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, among other documents, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson says.

Since 1965, the Cook Islands has been a country in free association with New Zealand. Its citizens have New Zealand passports and all the perks of that – access to New Zealand's

The South Pacific country of Cook Islands has unveiled the details of a deal with China to boost cooperation after the pact provoked a rare diplomatic clash with the nation’s chief benefactor, New Zealand,

A strategic partnership deal between China and the Cook Islands spans areas from deep-sea mining to education scholarships but excludes security ties, a document released by the Pacific island nation's government showed.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has called for a reset in government-to-government relations with the Cook Islands after its Pacific neighbor signed agreements with China without consultation.

China has signed a wide-ranging deal with the Cook Islands, sparking concerns over Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific. The Cook Islands Prime Minister defended the agreement amid global scrutiny.

Hundreds of Cook Islanders protested outside their parliament in the capital, Avarua, on Monday (February 17), demonstrating against Prime Minister Mark Brown's strategic partnership deal with China.