No details have been released, but analysts and environmentalists fear it will pave the way for closer security ties and the start of deep-sea mining.

China acknowledged a visit by the Cook Islands leader for the first time on Thursday, amid exasperation in New Zealand that it was not consulted about expected agreements involving the South Pacific nation,

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,