New Zealand minister tells Chinese-born lawmaker 'go back to your own country'

New Zealand's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Winston Peters, has ignited controversy by telling a lawmaker of Chinese descent to "go back to your own country" during a parliamentary debate. The incident occurred Wednesday when Lawrence Xu-Nan, a Green Party member born in Tianjin, China, questioned Peters about his COVID-19 vaccination status.

Peters, a populist leader and head of the NZ First party, responded aggressively to Xu-Nan, who moved to Auckland after being born in China. Peters told the lawmaker, "You've come here five minutes ago. Go back to your own country. 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. Go back to where you've come from, you loudmouth."

“

Go back to your own country. 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. Go back to where you’ve come from, you loudmouth.

The remarks prompted a rare public statement from China's ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong. On Thursday, Wang posted on X, formerly Twitter, that while he generally avoids domestic politics, Peters' statement "says more about the person that makes it than anything or anybody else."

“

suffice it to say, sometimes, a statement says more about the person that makes it than anything or anybody else.

Peters retaliated swiftly on X, asserting that Wang's comments "proven my point." He defended his stance by highlighting New Zealand's democratic values, including free speech, contrasting them with countries that limit such rights. Peters added, "If that offends the pearl clutchers and the communist shills labelling it as ‘dangerous’ – welcome to New Zealand."

This is not the first time Peters or his party have faced accusations of racism. Earlier this year, NZ First deputy Shane Jones caused offense with remarks about an Indian trade deal potentially causing a "butter chicken tsunami." Last year, both Peters and Jones had to retract comments after Jones yelled "send the Mexicans home" at MP Francisco Hernandez, who was born in the Philippines, not Mexico. Peters had previously told both Hernandez and Xu-Nan to "show some gratitude" for being in New Zealand.

“

proven my point.