00:00A year-long ban on entering China, all because of a visit to Taiwan.
00:04That's what four New Zealand lawmakers are facing after leading a bipartisan delegation
00:08in Taipei last month.
00:09The New Zealand Herald reported that China's embassy in New Zealand notified Parliament
00:14that the four lawmakers had been banned from entering China, Hong Kong or Macau.
00:18The four are members of New Zealand's all-party parliamentary group on Taiwan, and had visited
00:23Taiwan for five days in May, a trip they say is consistent with previous visits.
00:27One of the MPs, Laura McClure, said in a Facebook post that she has absolutely no regrets about
00:33visiting Taiwan, and members of parliament do not take instructions from foreign governments.
00:37In an interview with a local New Zealand outlet, she called China's move an intimidation tactic
00:42to discourage engagement with Taiwan.
00:44In a statement, New Zealand's foreign ministry said these visits are not inconsistent with
00:48the country's One China policy, and that the minister was surprised to hear of China's
00:52decision.
00:53The ministry says lawmakers have visited Taiwan many times despite its policy since
00:571972 of recognizing Beijing as the sole government of China.
01:01Taiwan's foreign ministry is condemning the sanctions.
01:22The Chinese embassy in New Zealand says the sanctions could be waived or reduced if the lawmakers
01:27apologize for the trip.
01:28This is not the first time China has sanctioned foreign officials for holding pro-Taiwan stances,
01:32but it is the first such case in New Zealand.
01:36But with at least one sanctioned lawmaker refusing to apologize for visiting Taiwan, China's decision
01:41could stoke tensions between Wellington and Beijing.
01:43Fu Hua Heng, and Larry Hsiano, for Taiwan Plus.
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