New Zealand–Taiwan relations refers to

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

(''Republic of China'').

History

In 2013, New Zealand and Taiwan signed a

free trade agreement A free-trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating states. There are two types of trade agreements: bilateral and multilateral. Bilateral trade agreements occur ...

. In 2020, New Zealand supported Taiwan's participation at the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

. This stance was condemned by China. In 2022, Air New Zealand cancelled a contract to repair aircraft engines for Taiwan's military over fears that it could effect New Zealand's trade with China. In 2022, the Taiwanese representative to New Zealand Bill Keh-Ming Chen suggested that New Zealand should participate in freedom of navigation exercises alongside other countries. In November 2022, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue of China's threats to Taiwan in a conversation with Chinese leader

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, s ...

. China responded publicly to the concerns raised by New Zealand and other nations saying that their relations with Taiwan were an internal matter and they would not accept any foreign interference. In 2023, New Zealand parliamentarians Simon O’Connor and Ingrid Leary inaugurated the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan to coordinate parliamentary relations between New Zealand and Taiwan.

Shared issues

Taiwan and New Zealand are both significant donor nations to small Pacific states. Both have faced strategic competition from China in this region. In May 2023 Taiwanese foreign minister

Joseph Wu Joseph Wu Jaushieh (; born October 31, 1954) is a Taiwanese politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China under current President Tsai Ing-wen since February 26, 2018. He was formerly the Secretary-Gen ...

called for increased investment from New Zealand in the Pacific.

Representation

The

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New Zealand The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New Zealand () represents interests of Taiwan in New Zealand in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a ''de facto'' embassy. The office was established in Auckland in 1973 as the ...

represents Taiwan's interests in New Zealand based in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. Similarly, there is a

New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office The New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office (Māori: ''Te Mata O Aorere''; ) represents New Zealand interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a ''de facto'' embassy. The Office was established in 1989. ...

in Taipei.

References

{{Foreign relations of New Zealand New Zealand–Taiwan relations Foreign relations of New Zealand Foreign relations of Taiwan

History

Shared issues

Representation

See also

References