India, April 3 -- New Zealand and the Cook Islands signed a defence and security pact on Thursday, easing more than a year of tension between the Pacific nations over the Cook Islands' deepening ties with China.

The fraught diplomatic standoff that prompted Wellington to pause millions of dollars in aid to Avarua was hardly a clash of geopolitical heavyweights: New Zealand has a population of 5 million, while the Cook Islands has 15,000 people.

But the lengthy freeze gripped Pacific observers because it reflected the struggle confronting tiny island nations with close ties to Western countries such as New Zealand and Australia as they seek to balance their traditional alliances with overtures from Beijing.

In the new declaration, the C...