Risk to inbound Chinese tourism Signs of an increasingly strained relationship between NZ and China have raised fears of a potentialslowdown in inbound Chinese tourism. A warning notice on potential risks to Chinese tourists travelling to New Zealand issued by the ChineseEmbassy and the postponement of the China-NZ Year of Tourism Conference have raised furtherquestions about the state of the New Zealand-China relationship.
Travel Notices The Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China, in New Zealand, issued a notice to tourists inDecember warning of robberies, a low rate of police investigation, dangerous driving conditions, andcases of Chinese citizens being refused entry to New Zealand, despite having a valid visa. Below is a translation using Google translate: “Chinese Embassy and Consulate General in New Zealand reminded Chinese touristsvisiting New Zealand to strengthen safety precautions 2018/12/07 Recently, the Embassy in New Zealand, the Consulate General in Auckland, and the ConsulateGeneral in Christchurch have repeatedly received calls from Chinese tourists and tour groupssaying that during their trip to New Zealand, the vehicles were smashed and even the whole of thetour group’s luggage was stolen. The relevant incidents have been reported to the local police, andthe new embassy and relevant consulates have also made representations to the new police. Dueto the low rate of police investigations, Chinese tourists’ documents were still lost and personalproperty suffered heavy losses. At the same time, the new embassy has also received calls fromChinese citizens for help, reflecting that although they have a valid New Zealand visa, they wererefused entry at the time of arrival and were forced to return. In view of this, the embassies and consulates in New Zealand reminded the majority of Chinesetourists to make various preparations in advance before going to New Zealand to learn more aboutNew Zealand visa policies, entry and exit and customs regulations. At the same time, during thenew travel period, improve self-protection awareness, strengthen security, and be sure to carryyour personal passport and valuables with you. Avoid personal loss of property due to temporaryrelaxation of vigilance and affecting the itinerary. In case of emergency, please report to the policeand contact the Chinese Embassy or Consulate General in New Zealand for assistance.” In January, another notice was issued in a similar vein, focusing on the dangers of driving on NewZealand roads. Later that month, a separate notice listed risks relating to the safety of people and theirproperty, as well as road safety and issues relating to visas and travel documentation. According to media outlets, the January notices included specific reference to the China-New ZealandYear of Tourism, and at least one was published by the state-run Xinhua News Agency, and on China'snational emergency broadcast website. “The Chinese Lunar New Year is approaching, and the China-New Zealand Tourism Year is aboutto officially kick off. The warm, natural and beautiful New Zealand will once again welcome Chinesetourists to visit during the peak period.”
China-NZ Year of Tourism Conference NZ was scheduled to host the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism Conference in Wellington next week(Australia hosted in 2017 and Canada in 2018). However, the event has been postponed in recent daysby what Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis described as a "scheduling issue", despite the event having beenscheduled more than two years ago and the event being referred to in the travel notices. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also referred to scheduling issues as the reason she has yet totravel to China, with the visit initially planned for late last year.
Interpreting the travel notices It is impossible to interpret the full rationale for the issue of the travel notices in December and January. Some will interpret the issuance as a signal of China’s response to the NZ Government’s harder lineover alleged Chinese interference in New Zealand, in particular, the GCSB’s decision to block Huaweifrom a role in New Zealand’s 5G network due to security issues - part of a wider backlash against theChinese telecommunications company, but also potentially speeches given by Foreign Minister WinstonPeters. This view is supported by the contention that China has a history of operating with plausible deniabilitywhen it comes to dispensing punishments, including the use of tourism as a type of sanction by stealth(most recently in 2017 against South Korea). Another view is that these travel advisories on China's part are simply evidence that more Chinese thanever before can afford to travel abroad and that their government seeks to ensure their welfare. There is no clear signal or evidence the travel notices are a warning from China to New Zealand, or anattempt to stop Chinese tourists travelling to New Zealand. However, NZ is still considered to be one of the safest places in the world for tourists, and immigrationissues appear to have been overstated, with Immigration NZ responding to the Chinese Embassy’sclaims that it “has also received calls from Chinese citizens for help, reflecting that although they have avalid New Zealand visa, they were refused entry at the time of arrival and were forced to return” statingthat 84 Chinese nationals were refused entry in 2018 out of 297,218 Chinese visitors. As a result, it would appear logical to infer that China is signalling some measure of dissatisfaction withthese recent actions. We will continue to monitor the situation.
A2M Price at posting:
$12.68 Sentiment: None Disclosure: Held
(20min delay)
