IT MIGHT seem brave, but at least a few Cook Islands locals see a chance for the tiny Pacific nation - population barely 12,000 - to ''play off'' superpowers China and the United States against one another. <\/p>\n
With a summit of Pacific leaders about to get under way, a daily gossip column in the Cook Islands News known as ''Smoke Signals'' had one reader sending a message that this was a chance for Prime Minister Henry Puna to shine. <\/p>\n
He is certainly in the spotlight. Hillary Clinton is the most talked-about guest at this week's Pacific Islands Forum, the most senior US official ever to attend. <\/p>\n
It has sparked speculation the US is worried about China's influence in a region traditionally seen as America's backyard. <\/p>\n
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China has sent an 18-strong delegation, led by senior Vice-Minister Cui Tiankai. <\/p>\n
In the Cook Islands alone, Chinese money has built the courthouse and police headquarters - part of China's total aid to the Pacific estimated at $600 million in recent years. <\/p>\n
Reporters have been told to expect another big Chinese announcement during the forum, but officials remain coy. <\/p>\n
Tuvalu Prime Minister Willy Telavi, for one, is bemused by talk of a US-China Pacific rivalry. <\/p>\n
''Well, this is a hard question,'' he told The Age. ''We are not really sure about the visit of the US Secretary of State, as to what she is going to discuss with us when she comes.'' <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Islands to play power politics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IT MIGHT seem brave, but at least a few Cook Islands locals see a chance for the tiny Pacific nation - population barely 12,000 - to ''play off'' superpowers China and the United States against one another. With a summit of Pacific leaders about to get under way, a daily gossip column in the Cook Islands News known as ''Smoke Signals'' had one reader sending a message that this was a chance for Prime Minister Henry Puna to shine. He is certainly in the spotlight Continue reading