Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta was subjected to a major dressing down from the Chinese Foreign Minister during her visit to Beijing in March.

The Australian reports that Mahuta copped an “epic haranguing” by her counterpart Qin Gang, quoting sources familiar with the incident.

The news comes as Prime Minister Chris Hipkins prepares to leave tomorrow for his landmark meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

A source told The Australian: “She was harangued for a whole hour.”

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity, said Mahuta pushed back on Qin’s ‘Wolf Warrior’ approach.

Another source told the outlet that the meeting was “robust”.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, right, meets with visiting New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta in Beijing on Friday, March 24, 2023. Photo / AP

Mahuta’s trip to Beijing was the first in-person meeting between senior New Zealand and Chinese figures since Jacinda Ardern raised Chinse ire by telling US President Joe Biden in 2022 that a Chinese military base in the Pacific would “fundamentally alter the strategic balance of the region”.

The comments prompted China’s ambassador in Wellington, Wang Xiaolong, to warn that NZ should act as a “friendly country” and not take China “for granted”.

Hipkins was forced to navigate the tricky diplomatic waters between China and NZ earlier this week when he was asked if he agreed with Joe Biden’s recent description of President Xi as a “dictator”.

“No, and the form of government that China has is a matter for the Chinese people,” Hipkins told reporters.

“If they wanted to change their system of government, that would be a matter for them.”

Hipkins is also lined up to meet with Premier Li Qiang and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji during his trip.

He will be joined by a 29-strong business delegation and Te Whānau a Apanui, champions of Te Matatini.

His trip will include stops in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.

Events include a sustainability forum, gala dinner, giving a keynote address at Peking University, and attending the World Economic Forum “annual meeting of new champions”.

In Shanghai, he will launch a tourism partnership, attend sector and business events, and meet senior Shanghai leadership.

He will be joined by Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor and Tourism Minister Peeni Henare.

Hipkins heads to China tomorrow. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“China represents nearly a quarter of all our exports, was our second-largest source of tourists pre-Covid and is a significant source of international students, so it’s a critical part of our economic recovery,” Hipkins said.

“This is a particularly timely opportunity to promote New Zealand’s tourism industry with direct airline connectivity out of China expected to return to around 75 per cent of pre-Covid levels in the June quarter of 2023.”

He said he planned to discuss climate change, economic stability, regional and global security, human rights, and the war in Ukraine in his meetings with officials.

“The export of traditional goods like dairy, meat and wood to China remain important, but it’s critical we also throw our support behind emerging sectors such as gaming and health and wellness, and the make-up of the delegation reflects our objective of diversifying the breadth of our export offering.”

The delegation is expected to leave on Sunday and return to New Zealand on Friday, June 30.

- Additional reporting, RNZ