Editor's Note: Pacific islands countries are increasingly looking to seal partnerships to enhance cooperation across key sectors, including trade, tourism, infrastructure, climate resilience and renewable energy, as well as seabed minerals development. In this edition of Leaders Talk, CMG's Zou Yun sat down in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, with Mark Brown, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, where he attended the closing ceremony of the Asian Winter Games during his week-long state visit to China from February 10 to 16. For the Cook Islands, a country that formalized diplomatic relations with China 28 years ago, partnership with China is primarily centered on mutual respect and sustainable development. "My visit is planting the seeds for long-term collaboration," Brown said.