New Zealand has paused $18.2 million in development aid to the Cook Islands because of a recent cooperation agreement with China. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is on an official visit to Beijing this week, said the small state didn’t consult New Zealand about the “breadth and content” of a cooperation agreement with China signed earlier this year. The agreement includes infrastructure cooperation and an agreement on seabed mining.

The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, said the aid interruption is “patronising” and “inconsistent with modern partnership.” The Cook Islands share passports and military ties with New Zealand. The cut includes $10 million in core support, making up 4% of the country’s national budget. Brown said the money would have been used for education and health.