New Zealanders are criticising a metropolitan newspaper over running Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda advertisements in a weekly paper for over two years.
According to the Herald, the adverts, which have been appearing regularly in the Christchurch Star, push the Chinese regime’s stance on a range of issues including COVID-19 and the recent persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang area.
Marc Latigne, a China expert at the University of Tromsø in Norway, told the Herald this was concerning because the New Zealand government had recently suspended an extradition treaty with Hong Kong because Hong Kong is no longer seen as an independent judicial actor.
New Zealand Suspends Extradition Treaty With Hong Kong
New Zealand suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong after China passed a national security law for Hong KongIt has also “gone against commitments China made to the international community,” said Peters.
“New Zealand can no longer trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China. If China in future shows adherence to the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework, then we could reconsider this decision,” said Peters.
“New Zealand remains deeply concerned at the imposition of this legislation, and we will continue to monitor the situation in Hong Kong as the law is applied. As a result, the review of our cooperation settings with Hong Kong will be ongoing,” Peters said.
The deputy prime minister also said that New Zealand would be reviewing its overall relationship with Hong Kong and immediately updating the country’s travel advice to alert New Zealanders to the risks presented by the new law.
The Ardern government will also change how they treat the export of sensitive goods to Hong Kong. “From now on, we will treat military and dual-use goods and technology exports to Hong Kong in the same way as we treat those exports to China,” said Peters.