Thursday 2 June 2022 08:31 AM Why China's furious with Jacinda Ardern trends now
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New Zealand could be joining Australia in China's bad books after the Chinese accused Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of joining a 'disinformation' campaign following her meeting with US President Joe Biden.
China has previously favourably contrasted New Zealand to Australia but a joint statement from Ms Ardern and Mr Biden after Wednesday's White House meeting was met with angry denunciation by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
In the statement New Zealand and the US warned a Chinese military base in the Pacific, a possibility raised by China's security agreement with the Solomon Islands, would 'fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region'.
It might have been all smiles when New Zealand Prime Minister met US President Joe Biden in the White House but China is far from happy with the joint statement they released afterwards
The two nations also expressed a shared concern about China's intentions towards Taiwan, South China Sea territory disputes, the squashing of democratic rights in Hong Kong and human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded furiously saying these issues had been 'hyped up' or were being raised 'out of ulterior motives to create disinformation and attack and discredit China'.
In the joint statement that came out of the meeting of Ms Ardern and Mr Biden New Zealand and the US expressed concern over the prospect of a Chinese military base in the Pacific
He denied China intended to set up a military base in the Solomon Islands, saying the communique 'distorts and smears' China's cooperation with Pacific nations and the other matters raised were China's internal affairs.
'China urges the US to abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological bias, stop interfering in China's internal
