China Protests New Zealand Foreign Minister's 'Go Back' Remarks

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters sparked a diplomatic row with China after telling Chinese-born Green Party lawmaker Lawrence Xu-Nan to "go back to your own country" during a Wednesday parliamentary debate on the government's COVID-19 response. The exchange occurred after Xu-Nan questioned Peters about his vaccination status. Peters called Xu-Nan a "loudmouth" and claimed that in New Zealand's democracy, people do not lie as they do in other countries.

On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Wellington lodged an official diplomatic protest with New Zealand's foreign ministry, describing the comments as "negative China-related remarks." Chinese Ambassador Wang Xiaolong further criticized the remarks on X, stating that such comments often reveal more about the speaker than the subject.

Peters defended his language as an exercise of free speech and democracy, dismissing critics as "pearl clutchers" and "communist shills." He asserted that the ambassador's intervention only proved his point. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon condemned the comments as "inappropriate attention-seeking."

Xu-Nan characterized the jibe as a desperate attempt to distract from the coalition government's record by scapegoating migrant communities. The incident follows previous controversies involving Peters and his deputy, Shane Jones, including racist remarks directed at a Mexican-born MP.