Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley shared her enthusiasm about China's visa free policy and underlined the importance of people-to-people exchanges.
In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG) that aired on Friday, Shipley said she loves Chinese visitors to New Zealand.
"I love Chinese visitors coming to New Zealand. I think they feel at home, but they also can see our spectacular country which is really as diverse as China, but condensed into a a very small space. I'm thrilled that China has opened up the visa free tourism. Many people will enjoy it," she said.
China has extended its visa-free policy to New Zealand, offering convenience for visitors from the island country. From July 1, 2024, to Dec. 31, 2025, citizens of New Zealand with ordinary passports can enter and stay in China visa-free for up to 15 days for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit.
In discussing the broader impact of tourism, Shipley expressed her excitement about China's decision to implement visa-free policy for residents of New Zealand and emphasized the importance of people-to-people exchanges.
"There is another point though: when people to people get a chance to understand and know each other better through just shared experiences, it genuinely is the best sort of foreign policy we can get," she said.
Former New Zealand PM praises China's visa-free policy
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.
Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.
Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.
The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.
Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.
Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest
