China Lodges Complaint After New Zealand Foreign Minister’s Remarks
Poinews.com – China has formally lodged a diplomatic complaint following controversial comments made by New Zealand’s foreign minister, Winston Peters, who told a Chinese-born member of parliament to “go back to your own country.” The incident occurred during a heated parliamentary exchange in Wellington on Wednesday, when Green Party MP Lawrence Xu-Nan questioned Peters about vaccination status during a debate concerning New Zealand’s pandemic response strategy.
Xu-Nan, who was born in Tianjin, China, but raised in New Zealand, posed the vaccination question to Peters, prompting an animated response. The foreign minister, who also leads the NZ First party, retorted that the lawmaker had “come here five minutes ago” before delivering his memorable line: “Go back to your own country.” He continued, “This is called a democracy, unlike what you’re used to. Go back to where you’ve come from, you loudmouth.”
Diplomatic Response and Political Fallout
Speaking to 1News on Thursday, Xu-Nan expressed disbelief at the minister’s comments. “It’s a little bit unbelievable to have a Minister for Foreign Affairs, I guess, scapegoating the migrant communities as a distraction to shift the blame away from all of the harm that this government is doing,” he stated. The remarks quickly drew attention from Beijing, with China’s ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, making a rare public intervention. Ambassador Wang wrote on X that he normally avoided commenting on domestic politics but felt compelled to respond, noting that “sometimes, a statement says more about the person that makes it than anything or anybody else.”
“Sometimes, a statement says more about the person that makes it than anything or anybody else.” — Wang Xiaolong, China’s Ambassador to New Zealand
The Chinese embassy in Wellington confirmed on Thursday that it had submitted an official complaint to New Zealand’s foreign ministry regarding “negative China-related remarks made by a certain politician.” Despite the diplomatic pressure, Peters has maintained his position, arguing that his comments protected democratic freedoms. “We live in a democracy that includes free speech and rights,” he wrote on social media, adding that he would “not resile from that point.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, whose National Party governs in coalition with NZ First, was quick to distance himself from the controversy. Luxon condemned Peters’ remarks as “inappropriate attention-seeking,” signaling that the government viewed the incident as politically damaging. This is not the first time NZ First politicians have faced scrutiny over similar comments. Last year, Peters’ deputy Shane Jones directed “send the Mexicans home” at MP Francisco Hernandez, who was born in the Philippines, prompting Mexico’s ambassador, Alfredo Pérez Bravo, to issue an official diplomatic communication to New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Following that earlier incident, Peters withdrew his support for Jones’ remarks, acknowledging that “in the heat of the moment” they “may have been expressed differently.” The current situation with Xu-Nan has reignited discussions about multiculturalism and political discourse in New Zealand, with many observers noting the pattern of comments targeting foreign-born politicians. As the diplomatic channels work through the complaint, the incident serves as a reminder of the complexities involved in maintaining international relations while navigating domestic political tensions.
