Cook Islands’ expected partnership deal with China has triggered tensions between the South Pacific nation and New Zealand.

In 2018, in a meeting with leaders from eight Pacific island countries, including then Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna, Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to elevate China's diplomatic ties with the group of nations.

China signs an agreement with an island nation. America’s regional partners get spooked. The Cook Islands, a sparsely populated string of 15 islets, is the latest to set off alarm bells. Its prime minister,

New Zealand expressed renewed concern on Monday about the Cook Islands' prime minister travelling to China this week to sign agreements without properly consulting with Wellington despite the two nations' constitutional ties.