Beijing said Thursday it barred a group of New Zealand lawmakers from entering China after they visited officials in Taiwan in May, accusing them of interfering in Chinese domestic affairs.

New Zealand voiced concern over the barring of the four MPs, who visited as part of a cross-party delegation, noting its lawmakers have paid visits to Taiwan for decades.

But Beijing¡¯s embassy in Wellington said the delegation had defied repeated warnings in traveling to the self-ruled island, where they met with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim.