BEIJING: Britain’s new foreign minister made an awkward debut in China on Monday (Jul 30) when he sought to curry favour with his hosts…
BEIJING: Britain’s new foreign minister made an awkward debut in China on Monday (Jul 30) when he sought to curry favour with his hosts by mentioning his Chinese wife, but accidentally referred to her as « Japanese ».
China and Japan have been traditional rivals for centuries. Although relations have improved somewhat recently, they remain touchy due to issues such as Japan’s bloody occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 40s.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, on his first official visit to China, quickly acknowledged the « terrible » error.
« My wife is Japanese – my wife is Chinese. That’s a terrible mistake to make, » he told his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
« My wife is Chinese and my children are half-Chinese and so we have Chinese grandparents who live in Xian and strong family connections in China, » he added, referring to the ancient city of Xian in northern China.
