Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown survived on Wednesday (Feb 26) a vote of no confidence in parliament brought by the opposition over deals he struck with China that strained relations with New Zealand.
Members of parliament voted 13-9 to defeat the motion introduced by the Cook Islands United Party. Two members abstained from voting.
The government holds 14 seats in the 24-seat unicameral parliament while the opposition holds 10.
Opposition lawmaker Teariki Heather, who moved the motion to oust Brown’s cabinet, said: “We want to stand on our own two feet and make our own decisions, but there’s a big ‘but’ there.
“Who has supported us during the past? Our relationship with New Zealand.”
Brown visited Beijing this month to strike a strategic partnership with China spanning education, the economy, infrastructure, fisheries, disaster management and seabed mining.
His dealings set off alarm bells in New Zealand, with which it has constitutional ties, due to concerns about China’s growing presence in the region and the potential threats to the country’s national security.
