New Zealand has suspended millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands over agreements the smaller Pacific nation made with China.

New Zealand has paused millions of dollars in funding to the Cook Islands over wide-ranging deals that its smaller Pacific neighbour had made with China. Wellington, the Cook Islands' biggest funder,

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown on Friday defended a string of contentious deals with China, saying they did not "compromise" the Pacific island nation's sovereignty. The agreements prompted major donor New Zealand to halt aid funding to close partner the Cook Islands,