In a unprecedented diplomatic move marking a sharp escalation of Beijing’s sovereignty pressure over Taiwan, China has barred four New Zealand parliamentarians from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau for 12 months, and demanded the lawmakers issue a formal apology for their parliamentary trip to the self-governing island, multiple official sources confirmed to the Associated Press Thursday.
This sanction marks the first time New Zealand elected officials have been targeted by Beijing for punitive measures over engagement with Taiwan, although lawmakers from other countries have previously faced similar restrictions for contacts with Taipei. For years, Beijing has ramped up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan, the democratically ruled island that China claims as an inalienable part of its sovereign territory.
The four New Zealand lawmakers traveled to Taipei for a parliamentary visit back in May, a trip that follows a long-standing tradition of New Zealand parliamentary delegations visiting Taiwan “for decades,” according to a spokesperson for New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. Two of the four lawmakers who were reached by the AP this week have flatly rejected Beijing’s apology demand, while attempts to contact the other two for comment were not immediately successful.
Beijing’s position holds that Taiwan, as a Chinese region, has no authority to conduct official foreign relations, and that visits by sitting legislators from countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Beijing violate China’s core sovereignty claims. In an official statement posted to its website Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Wellington clarified its stance, noting: “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 details of the travel ban and apology demand were outlined in emails from New Zealand’s Parliamentary Service to the affected lawmakers, which were reviewed by the AP. The correspondence confirms the ban could be lifted only if the legislators comply with the apology requirement.
The New Zealand government has pushed back against the measure, announcing it will formally convey its concern over the travel restrictions to Chinese authorities. A spokesperson for Peters emphasized that the May visit was “not inconsistent with New Zealand’s One China policy,” the long-standing framework under which Wellington acknowledges Beijing’s position that Taiwan is a Chinese province. Like most nations around the globe, New Zealand does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taipei. New Zealand’s parliamentary system allows individual legislators to make independent decisions about joining international travel delegations, which typically cross party lines to include representatives from multiple major political groups.
Affected lawmakers have publicly pushed back against Beijing’s action. Laura McClure, a legislator from New Zealand’s libertarian ACT Party, called the demand for an apology “frankly insulting” and confirmed she would not meet the requirement. Duncan Webb, a lawmaker from the center-left Labour Party, echoed the sentiment, noting that New Zealand upholds democratic norms and the right of its elected officials to engage with international partners. “If the cost of doing that is to be excluded from China for a year, I will pay that price,” Webb said in an emailed statement.
The diplomatic dispute comes at a time when bilateral relations between New Zealand and China have otherwise remained broadly positive in recent years. China holds the position of New Zealand’s largest trading partner, and New Zealand made history as the first Western nation to sign a free trade agreement with Beijing decades ago.
Neighboring Australia has also joined New Zealand in expressing disapproval of the measure. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told a Senate committee in Canberra Thursday that her government would also raise concerns about the travel ban with Beijing and China’s diplomatic mission in Canberra. “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 their travel independent of government,” Wong said. “Placing pressure on parliamentarians is not appropriate,” she added.
Associated Press reporters Huizhong Wu in Bangkok and Rod McGuirk in Melbourne contributed reporting to this article.