Latest news with #China-NewZealand
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fenjiu Liquor Elegance, Shared Worldwide: Asia-Pacific Cuisine Sino-Singapore Forum Successfully Concludes in Auckland
Fenjiu Shines at Asia-Pacific Culinary Forum: China-New Zealand Fusion Captivates Auckland AUCKLAND, NZ / / May 14, 2025 / Fenjiu, a premier Chinese liquor brand has proudly announced that it once again represented Chinese culinary culture on the international stage by successfully holding Fenjiu Night on May 9, 2025, in Auckland, New Zealand at the Asia-Pacific Culinary China-New Zealand Forum. This was a top-tier culinary and liquor event, and the highlight of this successful event was Fenjiu liquor. The event gathered elite representatives from China and New Zealand's culinary, beverage, governmental, business, and cultural media sectors. Through summit forums, keynote speeches, roundtable dialogues, and a collaborative banquet blending culinary traditions from both nations, participants deeply explored cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. A standout highlight was the fusion cuisine created by the New Zealand Chefs Exchange Association, artfully combining local ingredients with Chinese Fenjiu, delighting the palates of guests from around the globe. "Our brewing philosophy resonates with New Zealand's pristine ecology-from premium grains grown in China's golden planting regions to Fenjiu's heritage of pure fragrance-each drop embodies our pursuit of aromatic perfection," stated Li Zhenhuan, Vice Chairman of Fenjiu Group, during the forum's opening ceremony. He emphasized that exceptional quality and cultural depth form the cornerstone of Oriental brewing, while purity and craftsmanship represent the enduring philosophy of Chinese spirits. About Fenjiu Fenjiu, renowned as one of China's oldest and most prestigious liquor brands, traces its heritage back more than 6,000 years. Fenjiu is celebrated globally for its distinctive "Qingxiang" style-a clear, light, and aromatic liquor crafted through traditional fermentation methods and a meticulous selection of premium ingredients. With a deep commitment to purity, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage, Fenjiu has earned international acclaim, embodying the rich spirit of Chinese liquor culture and continuing its legacy of excellence on the global stage. Company: Fenjiu International Trade Co., Tel: +021558109Website: SOURCE: Fenjiu View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
Kiwiblog
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Kiwiblog
MPs are allowed to visit Taiwan
1 News reports: China's embassy in New Zealand has expressed its 'strong dissatisfaction' over a visit to Taiwan by a cross-parliamentary group of MPs. A lengthy statement posted by the embassy accused the MPs of 'wrongdoings' and that they 'insisted on colluding with 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces' during their trip. By meeting with Taiwan's president, China said the visit sent a 'gravely wrong signal' which was not in line with China-New Zealand relations. China viewed the Taiwanese government as separatists and said the meeting was a violation of New Zealand's commitment to the One China policy. 'The wrongdoings of relevant New Zealand MPs severely violate the solemn political commitments made by New Zealand to China when the two countries established diplomatic ties,' the spokesperson said. China lodged 'stern representations' with New Zealand in both Beijing and Wellington. According to the Chinese embassy spokesperson, New Zealand responded that the MPs did not hold official positions in government, their trip to Taiwan was 'private and individual,' and their 'words and deeds do not represent the New Zealand Government.' Taiwan is a democratic country, and it is good that MPs visit it. The agreement is that Ministers do not visit it as they are the Government, but MPs who are not Ministers are free to do so.
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
China's NZ embassy expresses 'strong dissatisfaction' over MPs visit to Taiwan
*An earlier version of this story said New Zealand's senior officials would visit Taiwan, this has been corrected to say no senior officials would visit. China's embassy in New Zealand has expressed its "strong dissatisfaction" over a visit to Taiwan by a cross-parliamentary group of MPs. A lengthy statement posted by the embassy accused the MPs of "wrongdoings" and that they "insisted on colluding with 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces" during their trip. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan was established in 2023 and is jointly led by National's Stuart Smith and Labour's Tangi Utikere. Other MPs on the delegation included National's Greg Fleming and Hamish Campbell, Labour's Helen White, ACT's Cameron Luxton, and New Zealand First's Jamie Arbuckle. New Zealand does not recognise Taiwan as a country, instead adhering to the One China position. That position was re-affirmed by the prime minister to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, when the latter visited New Zealand last year - though Christopher Luxon also spoke of the importance of de-escalation in the Taiwan Strait. While there are no diplomatic relations, New Zealand and Taiwan do share a trading relationship, which was worth $2.93 billion in 2024. The group of MPs met with Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te, who said the New Zealand government had "on multiple occasions reiterated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." Lai expressed hope that Parliamentary exchanges and mutual visits would become more frequent, saying they would explore more opportunities for cooperation and "further deepen and solidify" the democratic partnership between New Zealand and Taiwan. "Authoritarian regimes continue to converge and expand. Democracies must actively cooperate and jointly safeguard peace, stability, and the prosperous development of the Indo-Pacific region," Lai said. According to a readout of the meeting, released by the Office of the President of Taiwan, Stuart Smith spoke of the shared values between New Zealand and Taiwan, as "both are trading nations that rely on easy access for imports and exports, and that is why freedom of navigation is so important. "That is why New Zealand had a naval vessel sail through the Taiwan Strait, he said, to underline the importance of freedom of navigation and our mutual security." The position of the New Zealand Government has been that the sailing was a "routine activity" and was not directed at or requested by any particular country. After forming in 2023, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan was set to pay a visit that year. But it pulled out and said would wait until after the election. ACT MPs Brooke van Velden and James McDowall went anyway. China's response By meeting with Taiwan's president, China said the visit sent a "gravely wrong signal" which was not in line with China-New Zealand relations. China views the Taiwanese government as separatists and said the meeting was a violation of New Zealand's commitment to the One China policy. "The wrongdoings of relevant New Zealand MPs severely violate the solemn political commitments made by New Zealand to China when the two countries established diplomatic ties," the spokesperson said. China lodged "stern representations" with New Zealand in both Beijing and Wellington. According to the Chinese embassy spokesperson, New Zealand responded that the MPs did not hold official positions in government, their trip to Taiwan was "private and individual," and their "words and deeds do not represent the New Zealand Government." None of the MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taiwan are ministers, and the embassy said New Zealand had reiterated that no senior officials, including Cabinet ministers, would visit Taiwan. However, China did not agree with New Zealand's response. "China emphasises that for any country, including New Zealand, the legislative body and the executive branch are both part and parcel of the government. Members of Parliament, as part of the legislative body, are not ordinary citizens but political figures," the spokesperson said. "It is abundantly clear that such wrongdoings cannot be dismissed as mere individual behaviours to evade responsibility." The statement finished with a warning that China reserved the right to take further measures in response. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said New Zealand had adhered to the One China policy since 1972 and would continue to do so. A spokesperson said the Chinese embassy's statement did not accurately represent the structure of New Zealand's democratic system, New Zealand government policy, or the conversations with the Chinese embassy on the issue, and officials had taken up the inaccuracies with the embassy. "New Zealand Members of Parliament have undertaken independent visits to Taiwan for many years. This is a well-established practice and is within the parameters of New Zealand's One China policy. They do not represent the New Zealand Government on such visits." Cross-strait sensitivity New Zealand had recognised Taiwan before it switched diplomatic allegiances to China in 1972. Since then, it has kept up engagements with Taiwan in an unofficial capacity. Jason Young, director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre and associate professor of international relations at Victoria University, said the discussion and dialogue with Taiwan had focused on economic and cultural exchanges, and the visit was a continuation of that long-standing policy. "I think it is important that New Zealand continues to engage with people all over the world, including with Taiwan," he said. Young said cross-strait relations had become "very tense" since Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party returned to power. While he did not expect further escalation, as New Zealand's position had not changed, he said it highlighted the sensitivity Beijing currently had towards other parts of the world engaging with Taiwan and a perception that political visitors to Taiwan inferred support for independence. "When cross-strait relations are not in a good position, then they're very sensitive when other countries engage with Taiwan. "Even though, in this case, the MPs were visiting Taiwan in their private capacity, and this has happened for many, many decades, I think this is really a reflection of the status of cross-strait relations at the moment." Young said the heightened sensitivity was also partially a product of how other countries had been engaging with Taiwan. "In particular, the United States has increased its engagement with Taiwan, as at the same time, the relationship between China and the United States has really deteriorated over the last sort of half-decade. "And so, I guess from Beijing's perspective, they'll be seeing it within that broader international environment." Chinese 'entitled to their opinion' - Smith Stuart Smith told Midday Report the purpose of the trip, which had been paid for by Taiwan, was to get to know Taiwan better and find out about trade opportunities. He disagreed that the trip had violated diplomatic relations with China. "The Chinese are entitled to their opinion, I don't believe that's the case." He said MPs regularly visited Taiwan, "at least one or two trips a term," none of whom were on the executive or were there in an official government or Parliamentary visit. "When MPs travel to Taiwan, they usually get a note from the Chinese embassy or officials, saying they're unhappy about the visit. This is nothing new," he said. Smith confirmed he had spoken to Taiwan's president about New Zealand sailing a ship through the Taiwan Strait, though was unsure whether he used the word "underline," and said it "demonstrated" the right to freedom of navigation. Asked whether that was different from the government's position that the sailing was routine activity, Smith said "it probably was," but that it was a matter of semantics. "You can draw what conclusions you choose. In New Zealand, we have freedom of speech and freedom of movement. "MPs like other New Zealand citizens have the right to exercise those, and that's what we did." He said his speech had also referred to freedom of navigation in the Tasman Sea, and that New Zealand had defended the right for Chinese ships to sail through it.
Miami Herald
03-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Researchers inside deep-sea vehicle collect strange creatures — and find new species
Off the western coast of Australia, the Wallaby-Zenith Fracture Zone splits open the seafloor. The fracture in the Earth's crust reaches depths of 21,000 feet below the surface, and much of it remains unexplored. Some of the creatures that call the depths of the WZFZ home were undiscovered until 2017, and now, a manned deep-sea mission has brought more new species into the light. 'From October 2022 to March 2023, a joint China-New Zealand scientific expedition carried out a large-scale and systematic manned, deep-diving investigation,' according to a study published Feb. 21 in the peer-reviewed journal PeerJ. Researchers aboard the 'Fendouzhe,' a Chinese vessel, collected holothuroids, also known as sea cucumbers, from the eastern Indian Ocean, according to the study. Two of the sea cucumbers were never-before-seen species. The first new species was found at a depth of 20,987 feet, researchers said. Psychropotes diutiuscauda, or the longer-tailed sea cucumber, is 'yellowish green' in color with 15 'shield-shaped' tentacles, according to the study. The sea cucumber's color is 'unique,' researchers said, and its smaller number of tentacles (15 compared to 18 found in other related species) sets the animal apart. The species earns its name from a tail-like appendage from the back of its body that is longer than the body itself, researchers said. The sea cucumber has rough skin and small, tube-like feet in two rows on its belly side, according to the study. The species is about 7 inches long in the water, researchers said. The second new species was found in the same fracture in the Indian Ocean at a depth of 22,669 feet, researchers said. Unlike the highlighter-like color of the longer-tailed sea cucumber, this species is 'dark violet,' with darker tube feet reaching 'almost black,' according to the study. The animal was named Psychropotes nigrimargaria, or the black pearl sea cucumber, 'which alludes to the shape and color of the tentacles of this species,' researchers said. The sea cucumber has 'thick' skin and an appendage that is conical and tapers toward one end, appearing almost like a horn off its back, according to the study. The appendage is only one-third of the animal's body size, compared to the large appendage of P. diutiuscauda, researchers said. The sea cucumber is 11.8 inches long when in the water but gets much smaller when taken out of the ocean. Sea cucumbers are scavenger feeders that use the tube feet along their belly to move along the seafloor, according to the National Wildlife Federation. They can be found in the deep sea as well as shallow ocean environments. The Wallaby-Zenith Fracture Zone is off the western coast of Australia, south of Indonesia. The research team includes Yunlu Xiao and Haibin Zhang.
