July 30 (Reuters) - China made a diplomatic protest to New Zealand on Thursday after Foreign Minister Winston Peters characterised a Chinese-born lawmaker as a "loudmouth" whom he urged to "go back to your own country" during a debate in parliament.
Peters, the leader of the populist New Zealand First party, made the remarks during Wednesday's debate on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"A statement says more about the person that makes it than anything or anybody else," Wang Xiaolong,
the Chinese ambassador to New Zealand, wrote on X.
In a statement on Thursday, the Chinese embassy said an official made solemn representations about the "negative China-related remarks" at a meeting with New Zealand's foreign affairs ministry.
Peters had responded to heckling from Lawrence Xu-Nan, a lawmaker from the Green Party born in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin but who grew up in East Auckland, with advice to "go back to your own country".
"That's where they lie like a flatfish, but they don't lie like that here," he added.
"This is called a democracy, unlike what you're used to. Go back to where you've come from, you loudmouth."
The remarks drew rebukes from fellow lawmakers, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who criticised the "inappropriate attention-seeking comments", media said.
Xu-Nan told TVNZ Peters was "scapegoating the migrant communities" to distract from the government's record.
In its statement, the Chinese embassy urged New Zealand to "do more things conducive to bilateral relations rather than the other way around".
Peters doubled down instead, calling his critics "pearl-clutchers" and "communist shills".
In a statement, his ministry said Peters was briefed on the conversation with the Chinese embassy and stood by his comments, which were aimed at "defending New Zealand's democracy".
China is New Zealand's biggest trading partner, with two-way trade exceeding NZ$41 billion ($23.83 billion) in the year ending September 2025.
($1=1.7206 New Zealand dollars)
(Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
