Peters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumePeters Winston: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 18 March 2014. Volume:697;Page:16729. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]6.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First)to the Minister of Justice: Does she still stand by her claim that Oravida business was not discussed at her dinner in Beijing at which Oravida personnel were present as well as a senior Chinese Government Customs official?Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Justice):Yes but I do need to correct the member’s question. As I have said before guests at the dinner included a senior Chinese Government border control official and Ms Margaret Malcolm.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can she confirm therefore that she and Margaret Malcolm are fluent in Mandarin and were therefore able to understand everything that was said during the dinner?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: No. I can however assure the member that I am fluent in English and I can understand when someone is talking to me in English—normally.Rt Hon Winston Peters: That being the case can she confirm that because the senior Government customs official—or border official as she says—did not understand English he said nothing to anyone during the dinner and just sat there mute the whole time?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: The senior Chinese Government official did have some English but it was limited. I did my very best to talk about what a great country New Zealand is.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Is she saying that there was a dinner meeting involving a senior New Zealand Minister an adviser a senior Chinese customs or border official and business personnel from Oravida which is having trouble with customs and entering China and yet not one person during that dinner mentioned that subject?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Yes.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Given that she said that there were language issues at that meeting when the Prime Minister spoke to her on this matter did he question her public assurance that Oravida business and customs entry problems were not discussed knowing as he did that neither she nor Ms Malcolm speak Mandarin and therefore could not give such an assurance?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Given that it was a very short dinner—Hon Annette King: How short?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: —well it was a very short dinner—and the language being spoken was English or forms thereof I actually can give that assurance to the Prime Minister.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Given the acknowledgment that the border customs official spoke little English at all is it not a fact that her claim that Oravida business was not discussed was false as is the Prime Minister’s claim of receiving such an assurance from her which means that both she and he—the Prime Minister—are knowingly involved in a cover-up of a serious breach of the Cabinet Manual?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: I challenge that member’s assumptions and I would have to say that since I was there and he was not he should stop making it up.Grant Robertson: Why will she not reveal the rank or identity of the Chinese official?Hon JUDITH COLLINS: Because I have been advised by the Prime Minister’s office that we never reveal those matters.