New Zealand's foreign minister to visit counterpart in China
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister will visit her counterpart in Beijing this week in the first such trip in four years
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will visit her counterpart Qin Gang in Beijing this week in the first trip by a New Zealand minister to China in four years, officials said Monday.
But the visit comes at an awkward time, with Chinese President Xi Jinping planning to visit Moscow this week, giving a diplomatic boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the International Criminal Court announced it wants to put him on trial for alleged war crimes.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said New Zealand's position on Russia remained unchanged.
“We are emphatically opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Hipkins said. “We are also very opposed to any suggestions that other countries might support Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
