‘NZ failing to stand up to bullying China’

A former leading diplomat says New Zealand is failing to stand up to a bullying China, as the Government promises to ‘‘closely monitor’’ Beijing’s use of a security law imposed on Hong Kong. China passed a new Hong Kong national security law on Tuesday, cracking down on the democratic rights of the city’s citizens and compromising the ‘‘one country, two systems’’ arrangement. The law, a response to the city’s ongoing prodemocracy protests, will allow China to set up security forces in Hong Kong and prosecute both citizens and foreigners for crimes such as subversion of the government, or harming China. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters issued a statement yesterday, saying New Zealand had ‘‘consistently emphasised its serious concern about the imposition of this legislation on Hong Kong without inclusive consultation or the proper involvement of all of Hong Kong’s institutions’’. Gerald Hensley, a former diplomat and public servant who advised two prime ministers on security and foreign relations, said China had breached its international obligations and New Zealand’s failure to outright condemn this was concerning.