New Zealand foreign minister in racism row with Chinese ambassador

New Zealand's top diplomat, Winston Peters, recently found himself at the center of a racism controversy after making inflammatory remarks directed at a Chinese-born lawmaker in the country. During a debate on the nation's response to the Covid pandemic, Peters, who leads the populist NZ First party, was asked by Green Party member Lawrence Xu-Nan if he had received the vaccination.

In his response, Peters referred to Xu-Nan as having "come here five minutes ago" and told him to "go back to your own country." The comments quickly sparked outrage, prompting Beijing's ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, to intervene on social media. Wang expressed that while he preferred to refrain from domestic politics, he believed the statement spoke more about the person who made it.

In a subsequent exchange on the social media platform X, Peters fired back at Wang, claiming that his comments "proven my point." He emphasized the democratic values of free speech and rights, which he claimed were limited and enforced with force in other countries. This incident is not the first time Peters and his party have faced criticism for racist comments.

Earlier this year, his deputy, Shane Jones, faced backlash for questioning New Zealand's free trade deal with India as risking a "butter chicken tsunami." Last year, both Peters and Jones faced repercussions after Jones allegedly yelled at a Mexican-born MP, Francisco Hernandez, to "send the Mexicans home" during a debate. The controversy surrounding Peters' remarks has reignited discussions about racial insensitivity and its consequences in New Zealand's polarized political landscape.