The official protest on Thursday, accompanied by a rare social media statement from Beijing’s ambassador in Wellington, escalated a fiery domestic exchange over race and governance into a broader diplomatic issue.

In a statement, the Chinese embassy in Wellington urged New Zealand to “treasure the equal and mutually beneficial relationship between China and New Zealand, and do more things conducive to bilateral ties, not the opposite”.

The embassy also highlighted the contributions of the local Chinese community, calling on Wellington to “respect and protect their legitimate rights and interests, and create an open, inclusive and non‑discriminatory environment”.

In Beijing on Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry urged “relevant people in New Zealand” “not to play up China as an issue in its domestic politics”.