New Zealand Raises Concerns to China Over ‘Increasing Tensions’ in Taiwan, South China Sea

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta talks to media during a press conference at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 22, 2021. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand has raised concerns with China over “increasing tensions” near Taiwan and the South China Sea, where the regime in Beijing has been aggressively enforcing its territorial claims.

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta visited Beijing last week for a bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, in the first such visit by a New Zealand foreign minister since 2018, according to the ministry.

The officials had in-depth discussions on regional and international issues, with Mahuta “expressing concerns over developments in the South China Sea and increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” it stated.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be united with mainland China by any means necessary, even as Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since 1949.

The CCP invokes its “nine-dash line” to claim much of the waters of the South China Sea and has been aggressively enforcing its declaration by positioning coast guard vessels and imposing fishing bans.

“I emphasized Aotearoa New Zealand’s interest in a peaceful, stable, and resilient Pacific region and the importance of engaging through existing regional institutions and arrangements, in particular on regional security matters,” Mahuta said.

She relayed the New Zealand government’s “deep concerns” regarding the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang region, home to Uyghurs and other minorities, and the “erosion of rights and freedoms” in Hong Kong.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine was also raised, with Mahuta asserting that New Zealand condemns Russia’s action and that it “would be concerned by any provision of lethal aid in support of Russia’s illegal war.”

The CCP has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.”

China–New Zealand Relations

Mahuta also met with Wang Yi, director of the Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission; Wang expressed confidence in the stability of China–New Zealand relations, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Mahuta also discussed a potential visit to Beijing this year by New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

New Zealand’s economy is reliant on its biggest trading partner, China, and the government has usually strayed from taking a strong stance against the CCP.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks to the media at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on Feb. 21, 2023. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

During his first visit to Australia as New Zealand’s prime minister on Feb. 7, Hipkins said at a news conference that Beijing is an “incredibly important” trading partner for his country.

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be areas where we disagree from time to time. We’ll continue to voice our disagreements with China when that happens, and we’ll always continue to strive to strengthen that ongoing relationship,” he said.

His predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, said last year that New Zealand was “gravely” concerned about possible militarization in the Pacific after the Solomon Islands formed a security pact with Beijing.

The Pacific island nation and Beijing have consistently denied that their security partnership would allow for a naval base. Last week, the Solomon Islands said it awarded a deal to a Chinese state company to upgrade a port in Honiara.

Rebecca Zhu and Reuters contributed to this report.