New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins canceled his plans to attend a dinner party with a pro-China group last week.
According to the New Zealand online news publication Newsroom, the dinner was hosted by the New Zealand Chinese Business Club (NZCBC) and presented by a major Chinese liquor brand. The NZCBC was founded by former Member of Parliament (MP) Yang Jian, who stepped down from office in 2020. Posters promoting the dinner showed Hipkins and MP Ginny Anderson as guest speakers and the Auckland Business Chamber as co-organizer.
On May 3, four hours after receiving an inquiry from Newsroom, the prime minister’s office said Hipkins would not attend the event. He accepted the invitation assuming that the event was hosted by the Auckland Business Chamber….