Beijing said on Thursday it was imposing an entry ban on four New Zealand parliamentarians, accusing them of interfering in Chinese domestic affairs by visiting officials in Taiwan in May.
China asserts that the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan belongs to it and opposes its participation in any exchanges with other countries.
The ban comes despite largely positive relations between Wellington and Beijing in recent years.
What has China said about the ban on the New Zealand lawmakers?
The Chinese Embassy in Wellington said the group of lawmakers had acted in defiance of repeated warnings from Beijing by making their trip, during which they met with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim.
“The actions of these MPs violate the one-China principle and constitute interference in China’s internal affairs,” a spokesperson said.
“Whoever crosses the red line on the Taiwan question will face the consequences,” the spokesperson added.
Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported that the embassy had said it would reverse the ban if the politicians apologized.
What have New Zealand, Taiwan said about the ban?
The office of New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the lawmakers’ visit had not gone against the government’s position on the status of Taiwan, with which it has no diplomatic relations.
“New Zealand Members of Parliament are free to make their own individual decisions, independent of the government, about how they respond to invitations to travel overseas,” his spokesperson said.
The ministry said that even if Wellington had no diplomatic relations with Taiwan, “this does not preclude New Zealand from maintaining trade, economic, cultural and indigenous exchanges.”
“We intend to continue these exchanges as they benefit the people of New Zealand and are entirely consistent with our One China policy,” it said.
The ministry said such visits to Taiwan by New Zealand parliamentarians had been going on “for decades.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said it “strongly” condemned the ban, saying that China had “no right to interfere” in its international interactions.
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Fostering New Zealand-Taiwan ties
The banned lawmakers belong to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan, which was founded in March 2023 with the avowed aim of improving bilateral ties.
The Chinese Embassy in Wellington raised concerns about their visits from the start.
Beijing has imposed sanctions on lawmakers from other countries over contact with Taiwan before, but this is the first time New Zealand parliamentarians have faced them, the government in Wellington said.
Ban comes amid China espionage warning
News of the ban comes as the Five Eyes alliance, which includes New Zealand alongside the US, Britain, Canada and Australia, warned about China using online job platforms to recruit spies.
The “Safeguarding Our Secrets” bulletin said China’s military intelligence services were using networking sites and online recruitment services to target anyone who could access classified information.
Beijing has repeatedly rejected such espionage claims, calling them “pure fabrication and malicious slander.”
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
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