Four New Zealand MPs have been banned from entering China for a year. In May they visited Taiwan, which is a sore spot for China. That country considers Taiwan its territory and tries to limit the island’s relations with other countries as much as possible.

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs has let the BBC(opens in new window) know that the parliamentarians have been visiting Taiwan for decades, and that it is surprised by the Chinese decision to ban them. The ministry points out that parliamentarians decide which countries they visit, independently of the New Zealand government.

The Chinese embassy says the travel ban on parliamentarians could be relaxed or lifted if they apologize. Two MPs have already announced that they will not do so. New Zealand and China generally have good relations, China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner.

Taiwan condemns China’s move. The Foreign Minister believes that Beijing has no right to interfere with Taiwan’s contacts with other countries and wants China to stop putting pressure on countries whose representatives visit Taiwan. New Zealand and Taiwan do not have a diplomatic relationship, but New Zealand does have informal contacts with Taipei and wants to continue them.

In 2023, twelve Dutch MPs visited Taiwan. That trip was also not appreciated in Beijing, but sanctions against the parliamentarians were not imposed.