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China envoy responds after NZ minister's 'go back' slur
🇨🇳 China /Elections & Politics

China envoy responds after NZ minister's 'go back' slur

From South China Morning Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a Chinese-born lawmaker to "go back to your own country."
  • The comments sparked a rare social media response from Beijing's ambassador in Wellington.
  • The incident occurred during a parliamentary debate on the government's COVID-19 record.

A parliamentary clash in Wellington has drawn a rare rebuke from Beijing after New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a Chinese-born opposition lawmaker to "go back to your own country."

The comments, made on Wednesday, prompted a social media response from Beijing's envoy in Wellington, adding an international dimension to a domestic debate over governance and race relations.

Go back to your own country.

— Winston PetersNew Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters' personal attack on a Chinese-born lawmaker during a parliamentary debate.

The controversy erupted during a parliamentary debate on the government's COVID-19 pandemic record. Green Party member Lawrence Xu-Nan, who was born in Tianjin and moved to New Zealand in 1994, asked Peters if he was vaccinated. Peters, a populist leader, responded with a personal attack, stating, "Go back to your own country." He claimed Xu-Nan had "come here five minutes ago" and added, "This is called a democracy, unlike what you're used to."

The Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, weighed in on Thursday via a social media post.

That’s where they lie like a flatfish, but they don’t lie like that here … This is called a democracy, unlike what you’re used to.

— Winston PetersNew Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters' remarks during a parliamentary debate, contrasting New Zealand's democracy with the lawmaker's perceived origin.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by South China Morning Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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