The Cook Islands’ prime minister on Tuesday defended a new partnership pact with China and urged his country not to depend on handouts from New Zealand.

Prime Minister Mark Brown said the accord signed with Beijing offers his small Pacific nation opportunities in trade, infrastructure and the sustainable use of ocean resources.

“We can choose to be a country that relies on handouts and is dependent on our big brother or we can choose to be a country that can stand on its own two feet and can engage in constructive partnerships of mutual benefit,” he told parliament.

“Our journey as a self-governing nation is not one of isolation, but of partnership and engagement.”

New Zealand has alleged a lack of consultation and transparency over the agreement, signed with Premier Li Qiang during a state visit to China last week.

The self-governing Cook Islands, a country of 17,000 people, has a “free association” relationship with its former colonial ruler New Zealand, which provides budgetary assistance as well as helping on foreign affairs and defence.

The Cook Islands and New Zealand share a “deep and enduring bond”, Brown said, describing Wellington as a valued development partner.

But Cook Islanders had also made a “significant contribution” to New Zealand’s economy, he said.

“This is not a relationship of one way support, but rather a partnership of shared success.”