Source: Radio New Zealand
author:rnz digital reporters_]
The Chinese Embassy. RNZ / REECE BAKER
The Chinese Embassy says New Zealand and Australia’s recent comments on China are unwarranted and inappropriate, accusing the nations of “inexplicable colonial-style arrogance”.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong hosted New Zealand Minister of Defence Judith Collins Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Winston Peters MP on 17 March in Canberra.
Earlier this month, Australia raised concerns with China after what it called an “unsafe and unprofessional” close call between two military helicopters.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the two defence ministers called behaviour by China in the South China Sea “unsafe and unprofessional”.
They “reiterated concerns about the intensification of destabilising activities and instances of unsafe and unprofessional behaviour by China in the South China Sea”
Ministers also expressed concerns about human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet, and Hong Kong authorities’ targeting of pro-democracy activists within Hong Kong and overseas.
The embassy said it firmly denied the allegations. It says those issues are China’s internal affairs and they would not accept international interference.
New Zealand and Australian ministers also called on China to use its influence to stop Russia’s war on Ukraine.
“The statement overlooks the root cause of the ongoing military actions in the Middle East conducted in blatant violation of international law and the basic norms governing international relations, which have resulted in civilian casualties and disruptions to the global economy,” a spokesperson for the embassy said.
“It also remains silent on the two countries’ own poor records concerning human rights and ethnic minority issues.
“Instead, it contains unwarranted, inappropriate, and extensive comments on China’s internal affairs. As a Chinese saying goes, one should first ensure one’s own conduct is beyond reproach before criticising others.”
The embassy blamed other nations for tensions in the South China Sea, reiterating China’s claim over Taiwan.
“A small number of extra-regional countries have travelled vast distances to the South China Sea to engage in shows of force and deliberately stoke tensions under various untenable pretexts, thereby serving as a primary source of instability in the region.”
The embassy said the comments damaged the countries’ relationships with China.
“We urge the New Zealand side to take a clear-eyed view of the prevailing situation, to approach China’s development and the China-New Zealand relationship in an objective and impartial manner, and to work in the same direction as China – doing more to build mutual trust and advance practical cooperation.”
Collins brushed off China’s comments.
“When China sent its task group down to the Tasman Sea, circumnavigated Australia as well, did live firing, interrupted… around 50 civilian flights to New Zealand, we upheld China’s right to use international law, the UN Convention [on] the Law of the Sea, to be in that area,” she told Morning Report on Thursday.
“And what we’ve simply said is, ‘Please give us more notice if you’re doing low firings, because civilians don’t like…having to be diverted like that.’ It’s very similar in terms of the Australian recent transit that they did up north.
“They were very concerned about some of the behaviour towards them. I think it’s always important to avoid miscalculation when it comes to aircraft, ships, and people.”
She was not concerned about being called names, saying she had been “called a lot of names in politics”.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand