China Bans 4 New Zealand MPs for 1 Year Over Taiwan Visit
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
China Bans 4 New Zealand MPs for 1 Year Over Taiwan Visit
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
Summary
Four New Zealand MPs were barred for one year from China, Hong Kong and Macau after their May trip to Taiwan—the first such sanctions Beijing has imposed on NZ parliamentarians.
China said the lawmakers ignored its warnings and, by visiting as MPs, sent “wrong signals” to Taiwan independence forces; the Chinese Embassy said the ban could be reduced or waived if they apologized.
Wellington said the move marked a “departure from past practice,” noting NZ MPs have visited Taiwan for decades and that such trips are consistent with New Zealand’s One China policy.
Laura McClure called the ban foreign interference and rejected any apology, while Foreign Minister Winston Peters ordered officials in Beijing and Wellington to press Chinese authorities for an explanation.
The dispute fits Beijing’s broader effort to curb Taiwan’s foreign contacts, after earlier criticism of New Zealand delegations and past sanctions on U.S. lawmakers including Nancy Pelosi and Michael McCaul.