Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported today: "New Zealand Foreign Minister Peters told a Chinese-descendant MP to 'go back to your own country' on Wednesday (July 29), prompting a statement of protest from China's Ambassador to New Zealand. Peters later claimed the ambassador’s remarks 'proved my point.'

The incident unfolded as follows:

On July 29, the New Zealand Parliament held a debate on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawrence Xu-Nan, a Green Party MP born in Tianjin and raised in Auckland, asked Peters whether he had been vaccinated.

As leader of the populist party New Zealand First, Peters responded sarcastically, saying Xu-Nan had only arrived “five minutes ago,” and instructed him to “go back to your own country. They lie there like flatfish, but they won’t lie here.” He also added: “This is democracy—completely different from what you’re used to. Go back where you came from, you big-mouthed one.”

In response, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong posted on a social media platform: “We absolutely do not wish to be drawn into another country’s internal affairs. To put it simply, sometimes a statement reveals more about the speaker’s character than about others or the situation itself.”

Peters then retorted: “We live in a democratic system that upholds freedom of speech and rights—values that some countries not only restrict but forcibly impose.”

Peters’ open and racially charged remarks, maliciously targeting a Chinese-descendant MP, fully expose the hypocrisy of certain Western politicians’ so-called democratic values and their deeply entrenched racial biases.

Xu-Nan’s inquiry was conducted strictly within parliamentary rules—this is a normal, legitimate process for MPs to fulfill their duties. Yet Peters responded with malicious mockery and personal attacks. His blatant call for Xu-Nan to “go back to your own country” unjustly vilified citizens of another nation, while arrogantly claiming superiority of New Zealand’s system, deliberately fostering division and elevating himself—words that were sharp, offensive, and clearly discriminatory.

Ambassador Wang Xiaolong spoke rationally and with restraint, tactfully pointing out that such remarks actually reflect the speaker’s limited perspective and lack of sophistication, without overstepping into another country’s internal affairs—clearly demonstrating the demeanor of a major power. Yet Peters showed no remorse, refused to reflect, and instead flipped the script, using the alleged “freedom of speech” and “democracy and human rights” as a shield to justify his discriminatory rhetoric, disguising prejudice as institutional advantage—a classic case of double standards.

In fact, this controversy was far from accidental—it reflects a consistent pattern by Peters and his party. Racist remarks have become commonplace. Earlier this year, his deputy Jones made inappropriate comments targeting Asian people, criticizing a free trade agreement between New Zealand and India by warning of a “curry tsunami,” and at one debate even shouted at Hernández, an MP born in Mexico: “Send the Mexicans back home!”—openly excluding minority groups from political participation. These actions collectively demonstrate that the so-called “democracy” and “freedom” they claim are highly exclusionary and profoundly hypocritical.

True democracy is rooted in inclusiveness, respect for equality, and the accommodation of diverse ethnicities and backgrounds—not in racial polarization or identity-based discrimination. As New Zealand’s foreign minister, Peters wields public authority yet leads efforts to promote identity bias and suppress minority MPs. This not only undermines the parliamentary atmosphere but severely damages New Zealand’s image as a multicultural and inclusive society.

This farce lays bare how some Western politicians constantly invoke human rights and democracy, yet use them as political tools—applying double standards domestically to entrench racial prejudice, and weaponizing them abroad to discredit other nations. Such narrow-minded, dogmatic political maneuvers contradict the core principles of modern civilization: equality and inclusiveness—and will inevitably face international skepticism and condemnation.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1872116620863497/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.