Will’s Word: Where’s the transparency around Cook Islands-China deal?

The Cook Islands partnership with China ultimately has left me with more questions than answers.

The action plan that was released yesterday is so damn incredibly vague, in fact, it's worse than I expected.

Now while the Cook Islands government has been pushing for this deal, might I remind you, the lack of clear details leaves us wondering what exactly they've signed up for? - For example, the so-called “blue economy”.

The action plan promises to deepen cooperation in that area, but what the hell does that even mean?

There are no specifics on how the Cook Islands will benefit or what it will look like in practice. The same goes for the seafood export plans.

How will that process unfold? What are the logistical hurdles? Again, nothing concrete outlined.

And when it comes to the beloved seabed minerals of this government, the action plan doesn't explain what kind of cooperation is in the works with China, leaving a big question mark.

Then there's the $3 million for the Chinese inter-island shipping vessel, which I suppose is one of the few tangible items mentioned but what's the real cost here?

I don't mean to be facetious or cynical. Even more concerning perhaps is the mention of disaster management cooperation with China.

Might sound good on the surface - no actual explanation though of how this will work in practice, or what China's role will be in the future of Pacific disaster response.

Listen to Will's Word on Facebook.

Those are the answers I want to see. It's what I wanted to see yesterday and I'm not alone.

The commentary surrounding this deal is similar to what I've just said.

We deserve more clarity than what we got, and so rightfully so, the New Zealand government is now urging the Cooks to release more details.

So, enough of the cloak and dagger approach, enough of the vague outlines, give us the unvarnished truth.

Because right now, like I said, it is a lot worse than I expected.

That's Will's word.