USA-China: Biden Recognizes Cook Islands As Sovereign State

This move will certainly not please China and will not ease the already considerable tensions between Washington and Beijing.

US President Joe Biden announced recognition of the Cook Islands by the United States, “We have a long history of cooperation with the Cook Islands, dating back to the Second World War. Today’s announcement will enable us to expand the scope of this strong partnership and help ensure a safer, more prosperous and freer shared future.” With these statements, Biden opened the summit with the leaders of 18 Pacific island nations.

The Cook Islands are 15 islands scattered in the South Pacific, west of French Polynesia and four hours’ flight from New Zealand, the country on which they depend as a “freely associated state.” The same recognition occurred with the island of Niue, located between Tonga, Samoa, and Cook.

The decision is seen as an attempt to counter China’s growing influence in the Pacific region, as is the entire summit taking place in Washington DC. It noted the absence of Manasseh Sogavare, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands. At the recent UN General Assembly, the leader praised cooperation with Beijing, calling it more corresponding to the country’s needs and less restrictive than cooperation with the United States.

A security agreement between Solomon Islands and China signed in 2022 prompted Washington to reopen its embassy in the country after a 30-year absence, according to Italian news agency AdnKronos. This has been done in Tonga and will soon be done in Vanuatu and the Cook Islands.