China sanctions four New Zealand MPs who visited Taiwan in political first

In a likely first, a group of New Zealand MPs have been sanctioned by the People’s Republic of China for visiting Taiwan, the self-governing island territory China claims as its own.

Act’s Laura McClure, NZ First’s David Wilson, Labour’s Duncan Webb and National’s Maureen Pugh visited Taiwan in May.

On returning, the MPs were told by Parliament’s Clerk that the Chinese Embassy had been in touch with Parliament to inform them they would be banned from entering China and the territories of Hong Kong and Macau for a year.

The embassy also said the punishment could be reduced or waived entirely if the MPs apologised for their visit.

Wilson and Pugh declined to comment. Webb did not return a request for comment. The Chinese Embassy has been approached for comment.

McClure told the Herald that, in her view, the travel ban was “a type of foreign interference”.

“I’m not going to apologise for visiting Taiwan,” she said.

McClure said it was “important our relationship with China is maintained” but “Taiwan is an important economic and cultural partner to New Zealand”.

She described herself as “shocked” by the sanction, saying there is longstanding precedent for backbench MPs to visit Taiwan.

Sir John Key visited the island as a junior backbencher in 2003, as did Act Party deputy leader Brooke van Velden before she became a minister.

McClure said she was briefed by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) that this is the first time China has dished out such a punishment to a group of MPs for visiting Taiwan.

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters’ office directed questions to the ministry, which said there was a “longstanding practice of New Zealand Members of Parliament visiting Taiwan and such visits are not inconsistent with New Zealand’s One China policy”.

“In the New Zealand constitutional system, Members of Parliament do not represent the Government. They are independent and responsible to their constituents. It is up to MPs to make individual decisions about how they respond to invitations to travel in their capacity as MPs,” a spokesperson for MFAT said.

New Zealand has maintained a One China policy since 1972, when New Zealand established formal diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, the spokesperson said.

The policy acknowledges that the People’s Republic of China recognises itself as the sole China and that the island of Taiwan is an inalienable part of that country. The policy does not mean New Zealand accepts that position.

Tensions between Taiwan and China are high.

Last month, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te was forced to use subterfuge to visit Eswatini, one of the few countries with formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

After the nations en route to Eswatini declined his aircraft permission to fly through their airspace, Lai used a borrowed plane that charted a circuitous route around unfriendly airspace to covertly arrive in Eswatini.