The travel restrictions were communicated through China’s embassy in Wellington and conveyed to the lawmakers by New Zealand’s Parliamentary Service, according to messages seen by The Associated Press on Thursday. The ban applies to lawmakers Laura McClure, Duncan Webb, Maureen Pugh and David Wilson.

China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the sanctions on Thursday. Spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing opposed visits to Taiwan by members of legislatures from countries that maintain diplomatic relations with China and urged those involved to respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Anyone who crosses the red line on the Taiwan question must pay the price,” Mao told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

According to communications relayed by parliamentary officials, the restrictions could be lifted if the lawmakers apologized for their visit to Taiwan. Two of the lawmakers publicly rejected that demand.

ACT Party lawmaker Laura McClure described the request as inappropriate and said she would not apologize. Labour Party lawmaker Duncan Webb said New Zealand lawmakers were entitled to engage with international partners and that he was prepared to accept the consequences of the ban.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ office said visits by parliamentarians to Taiwan had occurred for decades and were not inconsistent with New Zealand’s One China policy, under which Wellington acknowledges Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China while maintaining unofficial relations with Taipei.

The government said officials in Wellington and Beijing would seek further clarification from Chinese authorities and formally express concern over the decision.

The sanctions mark the first known instance of New Zealand parliamentarians being barred from entering China over contact with Taiwan, according to the New Zealand government. Beijing has previously imposed similar restrictions on lawmakers from other countries as it intensifies efforts to discourage official engagement with Taiwan.

The issue has also drawn attention in neighboring Australia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra would raise concerns with Chinese officials and reiterated that lawmakers should be free to make independent decisions regarding overseas travel.

China regards democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes official exchanges between Taipei and foreign governments or legislators. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and maintains its own elected government and foreign engagements.

The dispute emerges despite generally stable relations between New Zealand and China in recent years. China remains New Zealand’s largest trading partner and was the first Western nation to conclude a free trade agreement with Beijing.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he intended to speak with Lai as his administration considers potential arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governed island claimed by China.

A direct conversation between sitting presidents of the United States and Taiwan would be unprecedented since Washington formally switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 under the “One China” policy framework.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said Lai remained committed to maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait and described China as “the disruptor of peace and stability.”

Lai would be “happy to discuss these matters with President Trump,” the ministry said in a statement.
“I’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody,” Trump said, adding that he had held productive discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing last week.

“We’ll work on that, the Taiwan problem,” Trump said.
The remarks came after Trump suggested that future U.S. arms sales to Taiwan could become part of broader negotiations with Beijing, raising concerns in Taipei over Washington’s long-term security commitments.

Taiwan’s government has since sought to reassure domestic and international audiences that U.S. policy toward the island remains unchanged and that Trump made no commitments to China regarding military support for Taipei.

Taiwan relies heavily on U.S. security backing to deter potential military action from China, which considers the island part of its territory and has repeatedly vowed to bring it under Beijing’s control, by force if necessary.

Taipei has also faced sustained pressure from Washington to increase defense spending and expand investment in American industries as part of closer economic and strategic coordination.

Trump previously disrupted diplomatic convention in 2016 when, as president-elect, he accepted a phone call from then Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, drawing sharp criticism from Beijing and surprising foreign policy officials in both Washington and Asia.

Wale, elected by lawmakers on Friday after the removal of former prime minister Jeremiah Manele, named former premier Rick Hou as foreign minister and legislator Peter Kenilorea as minister for National Planning and Development Coordination, portfolios central to the country’s foreign aid and diplomatic engagement.

The appointments are being closely watched by regional governments and Western allies as the strategically located Pacific archipelago remains an arena of competition between China and Australia for political and security influence.

Kenilorea is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a multinational group critical of Beijing’s policies. James Batley, a former Australian high commissioner to the Solomon Islands, said the appointments suggested a greater emphasis on transparency, although he said it was unlikely Honiara would reverse its 2019 decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.

Hou, who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2019 before the diplomatic switch, had publicly opposed the move to sever ties with Taiwan. Batley described Hou as experienced in international affairs and unlikely to be easily pressured in diplomatic negotiations.

Chinese Ambassador Cai Weiming and Australian High Commissioner Jeff Roach both met Wale over the weekend as regional powers moved quickly to engage the new administration.

According to a statement from the prime minister’s office, Wale told Cai that the Solomon Islands remained committed to the One China policy and intended to continue cooperation with Beijing to deliver economic benefits.

In separate talks with Australia, Wale said Canberra should adopt a longer-term approach to deepening bilateral ties, while describing Australia as the country’s longstanding development partner.

The government also restored a prohibition on the export of live dolphins, reversing a decision by the previous administration to lift the ban days before its collapse.

Environmental campaigner Lawrence Makili welcomed the move, saying it would help protect both marine life and the international reputation of the Solomon Islands’ tuna industry, one of the country’s largest sources of export revenue.

The issue gained prominence after a company applied to capture and export 50 dolphins, prompting criticism from conservation groups concerned about the impact on marine ecosystems and trade perceptions abroad.

While dolphin hunting in Malaita has historically been tied to traditional practices involving dolphin teeth, the commercial export of dolphins to aquariums in China has drawn increasing scrutiny in recent years.