Beijing has slammed the joint statement by the New Zealand and the United States governments that expressed “grave concerns” on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) human rights violation record and its current bit to expand influence in the Pacific region.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian claimed the statement smeared the CCP’s “cooperation” with Pacific Island countries and that issues in relation to Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong were “internal affairs.”
He also accused the two governments of having ulterior motives to “create disinformation” about China.
In the statement, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said they opposed the unlawful maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea and reiterated their grave concerns about human rights violations in Xinjiang and the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong….