There's a hope US President Donald Trump's attention isn't drawn to the Cook Islands-China saga. 

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown will travel to Beijing in the coming days, where he's expected to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership. 

He says it's about expanding economic opportunities. 

MFAT says it would have expected to be fully consulted on such a deal but wasn't.  

Auckland University international relations expert Stephen Hoadley told Mike Hosking Trump's been taking a hard line with China. 

He says Trump will want his allies to do the same, so New Zealand allowing one of its realm countries to slide into China’s orbit could reflect badly on New Zealand. 

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