President Xi Jinping called upon New Zealand to not discriminate against Chinese companies during a meeting with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose country has denied a bid by Chinese telecom giant Huawei to build its 5G mobile network, said Reuters.
Ardern said before meeting Xi in China, that she hoped to have a dialogue with Beijing about New Zealand’s intelligence agency’s decision to reject the bid. New Zealand’s relations with China have been tense under Ardern’s government, which has openly raised concerns about Beijing’s growing influence in the South Pacific.
“China is willing to continue to support strong companies to invest in New Zealand, and New Zealand should provide a fair, just, non-discriminatory operating environment for Chinese companies,” said Xi, according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.