Chinese and Taiwanese diplomats trade verbal blows over sanctioned New Zealand MPs as Australia weighs in on the side of New Zealand
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong. Photo / X
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has instructed officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to contact their Chinese counterparts to “express concern” at the sanctioning of four New Zealand MPs.
His remarks were echoed by Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong who said Australia was “concerned” by China’s move and that Australian officials would also make representations to China. Meanwhile, Chinese and Taiwanese diplomats traded verbal blows over the incident.
“Australian officials will also make representations on this, both in Beijing and Canberra, including our view that placing pressure on parliamentarians is not appropriate,” Wong told Australian media.
“We agree with the principle expressed by New Zealand that members of parliament, including the Australian parliament, are free to make their own decisions about travel,” Wong said.
The diplomatic spat relates to a visit made by Act’s Laura McClure, NZ First’s David Wilson, Labour’s Duncan Webb and National’s Maureen Pugh to Taiwan in May.
On returning, they were told by Parliament’s clerk that the Chinese Embassy had been in touch to say they would be banned from entering China and the territories of Hong Kong and Macau for a year.
The embassy also said the punishment could be reduced or waived if the MPs apologised for their visit. China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island, as its territory.
Under its diplomatic relations with China, New Zealand recognises the “One China” policy position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. However, New Zealand does not explicitly hold that view itself.
A spokesman for Peters said, “New Zealand has maintained its One China policy for over half a century.
“New Zealand MPs have visited Taiwan for decades, and such visits are not inconsistent with New Zealand’s One China policy.”
In the context of that long history, the minister was surprised to learn that China had taken a decision, for the first time, to impose travel bans on New Zealand MPs as a result of travel to Taiwan, the spokesman said.
Peters had instructed MFAT officials in Beijing and Wellington to discuss the matter with the Chinese system, to express concern at the departure from past practice and to better understand it.
“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.”
China and Taiwan respond
In a strongly worded statement, a spokesperson Chinese Embassy in Wellington said “the one-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community and a fundamental norm of international relations, and it is the political foundation of China-New Zealand relations”.
They said the current Taiwanese Government, which has taken a more assertive position on the point of self-governance, had openly challenged the “one-China principle” and had gone further down the path of pursuing actual independence.
The spokesperson said that this made it “all the more important to strictly adhere to the one-China principle”.
“MPs are not ordinary citizens. China has consistently opposed visits to China’s Taiwan region by members of the legislatures of countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, including New Zealand, and this case is no exception.
“The New Zealand side should not be surprised,” the spokepserson said.
In a statement, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns China’s retaliatory measures against a cross-party group of New Zealand parliamentarians following their visit to Taiwan in May”
“The Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to one another, and interacting with international friends is a normal right of both sides, and one in which China has no right to interfere,” they said.
The statement accused China of “coercive pressure” and “will only serve to ”high-handed and unreasonable behaviour“.
The Ministry said it expressed “sincere gratitude to the New Zealand parliamentarians and welcomes friends from sectors of like-minded partners to visit Taiwan”.