In this article, Narayan Srivastava examines how China’s accelerating push into deep-
sea mineral partnerships across the Cook Islands, Kiribati, and Tonga is reshaping the
South Pacific’s strategic balance. The article also highlights emerging vulnerabilities for
Canada and NATO in critical mineral supply chains. The piece evaluates how Pacific
resource politics now intersect with broader questions of regional dependence, maritime influence, and great-power competition.
