Asia & Pacific
During a debate about New Zealand's response to the Covid pandemic on Wednesday, populist NZ First leader Peters was asked by China-born Green Party member Lawrence Xu-Nan: "Are you vaccinated?"
New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters attends the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), part of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, in Pasay, Metro Manila on July 23, 2026. (AFP/Brendan Śmiałowski)
New Zealand's top diplomat Winston Peters drew the ire of Beijing's ambassador in Wellington on Thursday after telling a lawmaker of Chinese descent to "go back to your own country".During a debate about New Zealand's response to the Covid pandemic on Wednesday, populist NZ First leader Peters was asked by China-born Green Party member Lawrence Xu-Nan: "Are you vaccinated?"
In response, Peters said the lawmaker, who was born in the Chinese city of Tianjin but grew up in Auckland, had "come here five minutes ago".
