China Bans 4 NZ Lawmakers Over Taiwan Visit Amid Tensions

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning confirmed sanctions against four New Zealand lawmakers who visited Taiwan during a parliamentary trip. The Chinese Embassy issued a message to the AP, stating that Beijing banned these lawmakers from traveling to China for one year and demanded they apologize.

This marks the first time such sanctions have been imposed on New Zealand parliamentarians. Previous instances involved lawmakers from other countries. Beijing has increasingly pressured New Zealand, which it claims as its own territory, over the years.

Two of the four lawmakers rejected the demand for an apology, while the others could not be reached immediately. The New Zealand government plans to express concern about these travel bans to Beijing.

The officials visited Taipei in May, a practice that has occurred “for decades,” according to Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ spokesperson. Beijing asserts that Taiwan does not have the right to conduct foreign relations and views visits by foreign lawmakers as defying China’s sovereignty claims over it.

Mao Ning confirmed the sanctions during a regular briefing in Beijing, urging those affected to respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and strictly abide by the One China principle. Any crossing of this red line on Taiwan must be met with consequences.

China’s response was particularly strong following former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022, where she was banned from entering China and large-scale military exercises were conducted around Taiwan.

The New Zealand Parliamentary Service received emails from Beijing’s embassy stating that the four officials are banned from China, Macau, and Hong Kong for one year unless they apologize for visiting Taiwan. The ban could be lifted if an apology is provided.

A spokesperson for China’s embassy in Wellington stated that New Zealand should not be surprised by this decision, as it aligns with past practices of opposing visits to China’s Taiwan region by legislators from countries with diplomatic relations with Beijing.

New Zealand officials plan to discuss the matter with China to express concern and better understand the situation. Lawmakers decide individually whether to join delegations traveling abroad, usually involving representatives from multiple political parties.

Lawmaker Laura McClure from the libertarian ACT party called the demand for an apology “insulting” and refused to provide one. Duncan Webb, from the center-left Labour Party, stated that New Zealand values democratic institutions and would engage with partners abroad, even if it means being excluded from China for a year.

Relations between Wellington and Beijing have been largely positive in recent years, as China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner and was the first Western country to sign a free trade deal with Beijing. In neighboring Australia, Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed concern about the bans and emphasized that placing pressure on parliamentarians is not appropriate.