WELLINGTON — New Zealand’s differences with China on human rights are becoming “harder to reconcile”, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday, after Wellington faced criticism for failing to challenge its largest trading partner.
Ardern’s government has taken flak over its meek criticisms of China’s rights record, leading to accusations New Zealand is a weak link in the US-led Five Eyes intelligence network.
In a speech at a China Business Summit in Auckland, Ardern said New Zealand had already raised “grave concerns” with China about the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang province and spoken out about the erosion of democratic freedoms in Hong Kong.
But the center-left le…
Keep on reading: Ardern says New Zealand not dodging differences with China