New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing amid tensions over Huawei
- In announcing the trip to China – her first since taking office – Ardern highlighted the significance of the visit, but did not address the Huawei spat
- New Zealand’s intelligence agency last November halted plans for Chinese-owned Huawei to participate in a proposed 5G network, citing “significant security risks”, incurring Beijing’s wrath
Ardern said she would travel to Beijing on Sunday then hold a full day of meetings the next day with Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, before returning home the next day.
During the visit, she will open New Zealand’s new embassy in Beijing, constructed on the site of the current embassy. It is New Zealand’s largest foreign diplomatic operation, with 80 staff members, according to the New Zealand Herald.
She said she did not want to spend too long away from New Zealand as it continues to mourn the victims of the twin mosque massacre on March 15 that claimed 50 lives.
China bans Huawei from 5G, prompting backlash from Beijing
“It was originally intended to be a longer visit, including a business delegation, but under the circumstances that did not seem appropriate to be away for longer,” she told reporters.
