China and New Zealand have been clashing

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China tells New Zealand to stop 'creating trouble' after Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters backed Taiwan rejoining WHO
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters delivers a speech on New Zealand's foreign policy response to COVID-19 on April 29, 2020. Mark Mitchell/Getty Images

• China and New Zealand have been clashing over a call to let Taiwan rejoin the World Health Organization as an observer state.
• Last week, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said he personally thought Taiwan should be able to rejoin WHO based on its success combating the coronavirus.
• The Chinese embassy in New Zealand criticized Peters and reinforced the "one China" policy, which asserts Taiwan is not a separate country.
• Peters told Ambassador Wu Xi to listen to her "master" in Beijing.
• On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lihan, warned New Zealand risked damaging the two nations' relationship if "certain people" didn't stop "spreading rumors and creating trouble."

 

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China warned New Zealand this week that it risks damaging the countries' relationship after New Zealand's deputy prime minister backed Taiwan rejoining the World Health Organization.

We hope that certain people in New Zealand will stop spreading rumors and creating trouble and work to enhance instead of undermining bilateral mutual trust and cooperation," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lihan, said in a press conference on Monday.

According to official Chinese policy, Taiwan is not a separate country but rather a breakaway province and part of "one China." Until 2016, Taiwan was an observer at WHO, under the name "Chinese Taipei." But China objected after the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the country was again excluded.

But last week, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said he personally believed Taiwan should be able to rejoin WHO as an observer

 

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In the interests of international health you want every country in an international organization designed to improve the world's health," he said, according to the New Zealand Herald. "It's just logic."

It was later confirmed that the New Zealand government also backed letting Taiwan re-join WHO.

China "deplores and opposes" that position, Zhao told reporters, adding that Taiwan was using the pandemic to push for independence. The "one China" policy "must be observed," Zhao said, according to Stuff.co.nz

 

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In his remarks, Peters, who is also New Zealand's Minister of Foreign Affairs, praised Taiwan for how it's dealt with the pandemic: As of May 12, it's had only 440 reported cases of COVID-19 and 7 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

They have got something to teach the world and every country, including China, must surely want to know the secret of their success," he said, according to public radio broadcaster RNZ.

 

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Peters' support was based on public health reasons, not political motivations, New Zealand news site Newsroom reported. In a 2019 briefing, the government stated that it backed Taiwan's involvement in international organizations, provided participation didn't imply statehood.

After Peters made his comments, the Chinese Embassy in Wellington released a statement that "there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China," according to RNZ.

The "one China" principle "is the political foundation of the China-New Zealand relationship," it added.

In response, Peters told Wu Xi, China's ambassador to New Zealand, that she needed to listen to her "master" in Beijing.

 

[syed putra]

Taiwan belongs to orang asli.

 

[apogee]

Taiwan belongs to orang asli.

No to UMNO.

 

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In the last month, New Zealand has spoken up (mostly cautiously) on the sensitive subjects of Taiwan, the need for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, and on China’s renewed crackdown in Hong Kong.

 

[glockman]

Fuck their One China policy. What's the big deal with that? Let the world unite and pursue a No China policy.

 

[rocket]

Political pressure on China is frequently met with trade punishment. At the moment, New Zealand is gingerly applying a little of the former and hoping to avoid the latter.

In the last month, New Zealand has spoken up (mostly cautiously) on the sensitive subjects of Taiwan, the need for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, and on China’s renewed crackdown in Hong Kong.

 

[Peiweh]

Just add New Zealand to the growing list of free countries that are uniting against China.

China is not your friend