New Zealand said on Saturday that its foreign minister had raised concerns to Beijing over “increasing tensions” near Taiwan and the South China Sea, where Beijing has been aggressively enforcing its territorial claim.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta visited Beijing earlier this week for a bilateral meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, the first such visit by a New Zealand foreign minister since 2018, according to her ministry.
The two officials had in-depth discussions on regional and international issues, with Mahuta “expressing concerns over developments in the South China Sea and increasing tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” it stated.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be united with mainland China by any means necessary, despite the fact that Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since 1949….