NZ's PM Ardern says China flight's return not a red flag for ties

An Air NZ flight bound for Shanghai was turned back because of an “administrative issue” and the incident holds no political implications for ties with China, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern said Monday. The flight, with about 270 passengers, left Auckland just before midnight on Saturday but turned around several hours into its journey and landed in New Zealand on Sunday, the national carrier, part-owned by the government, has said. “I think it is important to be really clear and not confuse administrative and regulatory issues as issues to do with the relationship,” Ardern said. “This was very much an administrative issue. There’s an expectation that inbound aircraft be registered, that the flight in question had not fulfilled the administrative requirements.” In Beijing on Monday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told said her understanding was that the plane had never registered in China. Ardern’s remarks followed questions by some politicians and analysts whether the incident pointed to broader issues in New Zealand’s ties to its key trading partner.<br/>