New Zealand Deputy PM Defends Support for Taiwan After Chinese Regime Criticism

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (L) shakes hands with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters after her speech during the 2018 budget presentation at Parliament on May 17, 2018 in Wellington, New Zealand. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has defended his support of Taiwan joining the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) next meeting on May 18 and 19 after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) criticised him for it.

Peters, who is also New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister, told 1News on May 11 that Taiwan’s expertise at dealing with the CCP virus (commonly known as novel coronavirus) would be helpful to the rest of the world.