Half a year after China signed cooperation agreements with the Cook Islands, the United States followed suit by "copying the homework"

According to a report by Bloomberg in the United States on August 6, the U.S. Department of State stated on the 5th that the U.S. government and the Cook Islands have started negotiations on the exploration and development of undersea mineral resources. Just a few months ago, the Cook Islands signed several key cooperation agreements with China, strengthening cooperation in areas such as the blue economy, undersea minerals, and economic and technological fields.

The U.S. Department of State stated in a statement: "The U.S. government has initiated consultations with the Cook Islands to support relevant research, providing decision-making basis for undersea exploration and development within the exclusive economic zone of the Cook Islands. Companies affiliated with the United States are at the forefront in deep-sea mineral resource research and exploration in the Cook Islands, reflecting the common interests and cooperation between the two sides in undersea mineral resources."

The statement said that the Cook Islands have rich marine natural resources, and the United States has rich marine research and technical professional knowledge. "We are committed to promoting responsible development of undersea minerals and global scientific research on the deep sea, and setting high standards of transparency for the management of undersea resources."

The report pointed out that for a long time, the industry has been discussing increasing the supply of metals such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese through seabed mining. However, large-scale commercial mining has not yet been realized due to the lack of breakthroughs in key technologies.

Regarding the U.S. initiation of negotiations with the Cook Islands, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on the 6th, stating that the country is aware of the situation and "respects the rights and responsibilities of countries in managing their own mineral resources."

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839709232924680/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.