China protests New Zealand over Winston Peters' 'go back' remark
China lodged an official diplomatic protest after New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters told Chinese‑born Green Party MP Lawrence Xu‑Nan to “go back to your own country” during a parliamentary debate on the government's Covid‑19 response. Chinese ambassador Wang Xiaolong posted on X that “sometimes, a statement says more about the person that makes it than anything or anybody else”, and the Chinese embassy made solemn representations about the “negative China‑related remarks” to New Zealand’s foreign ministry. Peters doubled down, describing his critics as “pearl‑clutchers” and “communist shills”, and defended his comments as a defence of democracy and free speech. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called the remarks “inappropriate attention‑seeking”. China is New Zealand’s biggest trading partner, with two‑way trade exceeding NZ$41 billion in the year to September 2025. The incident has sparked debate over racism, free speech and the future of New Zealand‑China relations.
Entities: China · Christopher Luxon · Lawrence Xu‑Nan · New Zealand First · New Zealand Labour Party · Public Service Association · Trade unions · Wang Xiaolong · Winston Peters
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 7 SOURCES] China lodged an official diplomatic protest to New Zealand over Winston Peters' remarks.
- [● 7 SOURCES] Winston Peters told Chinese‑born MP Lawrence Xu‑Nan to “go back to your own country” during a parliamentary debate on the Covid‑19 response.
- [● 7 SOURCES] Peters defended his remarks as a defence of democracy and free speech, calling critics “pearl‑clutchers” and “communist shills”.
- [● 7 SOURCES] China is New Zealand’s biggest trading partner, with two‑way trade exceeding NZ$41 billion in the year to September 2025.
- [● 7 SOURCES] Chinese ambassador Wang Xiaolong said “sometimes, a statement says more about the person that makes it than anything or anybody else”.
- [● 7 SOURCES] The Chinese embassy made solemn representations about “negative China‑related remarks” to New Zealand’s foreign affairs ministry.
- [● 7 SOURCES] New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called Peters' remarks “inappropriate attention‑seeking”.