China has lodged an official diplomatic complaint after New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters told a Chinese-born MP to "go back to your own country" during a parliamentary debate on 29 July.
Peters directed the remark at Lawrence Xu-Nan, who was born in Tianjin and moved to New Zealand in 1994. Chinese Ambassador Wang Xiaolong publicly commented on the incident via X, a notable step for Beijing's envoy. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon condemned the remarks as "inappropriate attention-seeking".
The incident recalls a similar outburst last year by Peters' deputy Shane Jones, who shouted "send the Mexicans home" at a colleague during a parliamentary session.