Australia and New Zealand express deep concerns over Tibet in joint statement

17 March 2026

Australia and New Zealand expressed deep concerns about "religious, cultural, educational and linguistic rights and freedoms" in Tibet, in a joint statement made after the third Australia-New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations (ANZMIN 2+2).

The joint statement was made by the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence the Hon Richard Marles MP and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong; New Zealand Minister of Defence Hon Judith Collins KC MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Winston Peters MP.

The statement affirmed that, "Ministers reiterated their grave concerns about human rights violations in Xinjiang. They expressed deep concerns about the erosion of religious, cultural, educational and linguistic rights and freedoms in Tibet. They shared deep concern over the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, including the actions of Hong Kong authorities in targeting pro-democracy activists both within Hong Kong and overseas".

Read full statement here.

Australia Tibet Council (ATC) welcomes this statement, we thank Australia and New Zealand's Foreign and Defence Ministers for making this important statement - acknowledging the grave human rights abuses inside Tibet, perpetatrated by the Chinese Government.