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The new US ambassador to New Zealand ‌and several Pacific island nations said on Friday that securing Cook Islands seabed minerals ​was a top priority, and that ‌China's push for influence in the Pacific carried risks for small island states.Jared Novelly, ‌US ambassador to ⁠New Zealand, the Cook Islands, ‌Niue and Samoa, said in a press ‌conference that critical minerals had moved rapidly up his agenda over the last year."When I was getting briefings ⁠in October, November last year, the critical minerals thing was kind of a lesser item," Novelly said. "Fast forward to February, March of this year, critical minerals, and particularly in the Cooks, is either 1A or 1B of my priorities." Washington has made securing critical minerals a strategic priority as it seeks to reduce its reliance on China-dominated supply chains and support defence and clean-energy industries. The Cook Islands' waters contain deposits of polymetallic nodules, sought for batteries and other technologies, and the government has allowed exploration, ​but not commercial extraction. In February, the Cook Islands and the US signed a non-binding framework on critical minerals research and supply-chain security, including deep-sea minerals in Cook Islands waters. It has also signed an exploration and research agreement with ‌China.Novelly, a Missouri businessman and sports ⁠team owner who ​is the inaugural US ambassador to the Cook Islands, said he planned to spend time ​in the country and would look to introduce US companies that could help with the minerals' extraction. The Cook Islands government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.He said he also believed he needed to warn Pacific countries to be cautious in dealings with Beijing."China has made no bones about they want a base in the Pacific, they want an expanded presence there," he said, adding that island nations needed to understand "what a debt trap is" and that "there can be strings attached". China in recent years has become a major player in the region, in development finance, ports, airports and telecommunications, and has sought a greater role in the military, policing, digital connectivity ‌and media. Beijing says its relationships ‌in the region are based on mutual respect ⁠and delivering benefits to the Pacific people.Novelly said he was also exploring ways to support Pacific economies ⁠beyond aid, including by reducing the cost ⁠of remittances.US FACES MORE SCEPTICAL KIWISNovelly arrived in New Zealand earlier this week and presented his credentials to the governor general on Wednesday before hosting the embassy's annual July 4 party.Novelly said Washington respected New Zealand's role in the South Pacific, including defence cooperation, but said partners needed to spend more on security. "It's important that you care as much about your defence as we care about your defence," he said, echoing ​US policy towards partners and allies around the globe. Novelly arrives as New Zealanders' views of the US have fallen. A June survey by the Asia New Zealand Foundation found that, for the first time in a decade, they viewed Washington as more of a threat than China.But Novelly said it was not something he had experienced on his visits to the country and "there seems to be a very friendly camaraderie that occurs between folks from the US and Kiwis."On New Zealand's nuclear-free policy, which restricts visits by nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed vessels, Novelly said any change was a decision for Wellington but that ‌he would like to see a ​US aircraft carrier visit in Auckland harbour."I would really like the opportunity to work with New Zealand on that," he said. 

A Chinese research vessel docked in the Cook Islands Saturday as it probed the Pacific nation's deep-sea mining potential, a fledgling industry of mounting interest to both Beijing and Washington. The Da Yang Hao docked in the palm-shaded port of Avatiu on a "scientific research cruise" through the tropical archipelago, the Cook Islands' Seabed Minerals Authority said. Huge areas of seabed around the Cook Islands are carpeted in polymetallic nodules, lumpy rocks studded with rare earths and critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese. The Cook Islands -- which lays claim to one of the world's biggest deposits of polymetallic nodules -- signed a contentious deep-sea mining cooperation deal with China earlier this year. "This cruise is about learning by doing," said Seabed Minerals Authority spokesman Edward Herman. "Our team is actively participating in all activities to build our knowledge and capacity in marine research." This included mapping the seabed with sonar arrays and dredging up sediment samples, said the authority. Fringed by sparkling lagoons, South Pacific nation the Cook Islands has opened its vast ocean territory for deep-sea mining exploration. **media[378966]** With existing supplies of critical minerals heavily exposed to trade disputes, both the United States and China have this year ramped up interest in the highly contentious industry. Critical minerals, such as cobalt and nickel, are in hot demand for electric vehicles, rechargeable batteries and advanced military technology. The United States secured its own agreement to pursue deep-sea mining research with the Cook Islands in August. Deep-sea exploration AFP photos showed the near-100 metre (330 feet) Da Yang Hao vessel cutting through the Cook Islands' sleepy main harbour before docking on Saturday morning. The ship was emblazoned with the logo of China's Ocean Mineral Resources Research Association, which is tasked with the exploration of seabed minerals. Chinese research vessels have been accused of carrying out surveillance and other military activities under the auspices of scientific work. Pacific island nation Palau, a staunch US ally in the region, in 2021 alleged that the Da Yang Hao had entered its exclusive economic zone without proper permissions. The Da Yang Hao arrives in the Cook Islands less than one month after a deep-sea research voyage backed by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While exploration for deep-sea mining is far advanced, no company or nation has started production on a commercial scale. Critics fear deep-sea mining will smother marine life with waste and the noise of heavy machinery will disrupt oceanic migrations. International regulators are still trying to thrash out environmental rules governing the industry.