Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a banquet to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in China, in May. Four New Zealand members of parliament have been banned from visiting China after their recent visit to Taiwan. Photo by Chinese Foreign Ministry/UPI | License Photo
June 4 (UPI) -- Four New Zealand lawmakers have been banned from visiting China for a year after a trip to Taiwan, a first for the country.
New Zealand members of parliament Maureen Pugh, Duncan Webb, Laura McClure and David Wilson, visited Taipei, Taiwan, for five days in May. The trip was to maintain the relationship between Taiwan and New Zealand.
New Zealanders were shocked at the ban, which they learned about on Thursday. Lawmakers have made many trips to Taiwan for years with no issues, a spokesperson for Winston Peters, New Zealand's minister of foreign affairs, told The New York Times.
"In the context of that long history, the minister was surprised to learn that China has taken a decision to, for the first time, impose travel bans on New Zealand MPs as a result of travel to Taiwan," the spokesperson said.
