China protests NZ minister's 'go back' slur to Chinese-born MP
Beijing lodges formal protest and rare ambassador statement after racist outburst in parliament.
China escalated a fiery domestic exchange in New Zealand into a diplomatic incident after Foreign Minister Winston Peters told Green Party MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, a Chinese-born opposition lawmaker, to 'go back to your own country' during a parliamentary debate. Beijing lodged formal diplomatic representations on Thursday, accompanied by a rare social media statement from China’s ambassador in Wellington. The Chinese embassy urged New Zealand to 'treasure the equal and mutually beneficial relationship between China and New Zealand, and do more things conducive to bilateral ties, not the opposite.' The statement also highlighted the contributions of the local Chinese community and called for an 'open, inclusive and non-discriminatory environment.'
At a regular press briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged 'relevant people in New Zealand' not to 'play up China as an issue in its domestic politics.' The incident follows growing tensions and comes as New Zealand grapples with internal debates over race and governance. The rare public rebuke from China’s ambassador signals the seriousness with which Beijing views the remark, which many see as a test of diplomatic norms in the Asia-Pacific region.
- New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters told Green Party MP Lawrence Xu-Nan (Chinese-born) to 'go back to your own country' in parliament.
- China lodged formal diplomatic representations and Beijing's ambassador issued a rare social media statement criticizing the remark.
- Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged New Zealand not to use China as a domestic political issue.
Why It Matters
Rare direct Chinese rebuke strains NZ-China relations and highlights risks of anti-Asian rhetoric in foreign policy.