New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Wednesday his country must “reset” its relationship with the Cook Islands government after its Pacific neighbour signed agreements with China without consultation.

The Cook Islands may be small but the ambitions of its leader are mighty. A range of deals Prime Minister Mark Brown signed with China without consulting the public or New Zealand – an ally to which the Cooks is closely tied – has caused increasing irritation and concern.

The public quarrel between New Zealand and the Cook Islands — which share a passport, a military and constitutional ties — is a victory for Beijing.

The Cook Islands' prime minister survived a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, blaming "misinformation" from former colonial ruler New Zealand for destabilising his Pacific country.

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.

The islands’ PM said Pacific nations were looking for other countries to ‘fill the gap’ in the wake of Trump’s return as US president.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown survived on Wednesday a vote of no confidence in parliament brought by the opposition over deals he struck with China that strained relations with New Zealand.

Growing ties between Cook Islands and China, including a new comprehensive partnership agreement action plan detailed this week, have raised concerns in New Zealand, which has a close constitutional relationship with its tiny Pacific neighbour.

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

Prime Minister Mark Brown struck a strategic partnership with China this month, irking Cook Islands’ opposition and New Zealand.

The agreement is being denounced as a threat to New Zealand and used to justify its ongoing integration into US-led plans for war against China.

The tiny Pacific nation’s partnership agreement with China was signed amid a furious diplomatic row with New Zealand, its former colonial ruler.