New Zealand is toughening up on China
It stands up more to its biggest trading partner than it is given credit for
![NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 19: Cattle destined for China are loaded onto a livestock transport ship Al Kuwait at the Port of Napier on November 19, 2021 in Napier, New Zealand. The load of livestock represents the largest export through the port to date with up to 14,000 head of cattle to be loaded. (Photo by Kerry Marshall/Getty Images)](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20221022_ASP502.jpg)
TO HAVE ONE politician accused of spying for a foreign government may be regarded as misfortune. But to have two is certainly carelessness. In 2017 Yang Jian, a Chinese-born member of New Zealand’s National Party, was revealed to have worked for more than a decade in Chinese military-training centres. He admitted to teaching spies (though not to being one) yet remained in his Kiwi job until 2020, when he retired. Days later, a second Chinese-born mP, Raymond Huo of the Labour government, said he was leaving politics. He too was accused of having links to China’s Communist Party. New Zealand’s intelligence agencies had prodded both parties to remove the men.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Getting real”
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