Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi goes ape at a Canadian journalist when asked about China’s human rights. So angry, so arrogant, so lacking in manners. A minister of foreign affairs should have some respect for the culture of other countries, and he clearly does not. China can do much better. The Queen was right.
Comment, I usually do not, when it comes to politics, either in Canada, China, or elsewhere, but Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi on a visit to Canada went ape at a Canadian journalist. As a representative of China his behaviour was disgraceful and unacceptable. Due to military incursions in the South China Sea, China already has a reputation of being a bully. Wang Yi only reinforces the arrogant view that China now holds.
I am sure that China has human rights violations, but then again so does Canada and the US. This is not in dispute. I would hope that Canadian diplomats would act in a civil manner wherever they go and whomever they are with, unlike Wang Yi.
Minister Wang Yi should be sent home from Canada in disgrace. We do not need such a diplomat here in Canada, as he displays such a terrible image of China to Canada.
From the IPolitics site:
Five Canadian media outlets pooled their questions into one for Dion that touched on the disappearances of multiple Hong Kong booksellers believed to be detained in China, the detention and charging of Canadian Kevin Garratt, and China’s activities in the South China Sea, with an iPolitics reporter posing the question to Dion.
Here is the IPolitics reporter’s question:
There are no shortage of concerns about China’s treatment of human rights advocates such as the Hong Kong booksellers and its detention of the Garratts, not to mention the destabilizing effects of its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Given these concerns, why is Canada pursuing closer ties with China, how do you plan to use that relationship to improve human rights and security in the region, and did you specifically raise the case of the Garratts during your talks?
Here is the translation of Wang Yi’s response:
I want to make a response to questions asked by this journalist about China.
I have to say that your question is full of prejudice against China, and arrogance, where I don’t know where that come from, and this is totally unacceptable.
I have to ask whether you understand China, have you been to China, do you know that China has lifted more than 600 million people out of poverty and do you know that China is now the second largest economy in the world, from a very low foundation, do you think development is possible for China without protection of human rights, and do you know that China has written protection and promotion of human rights into our constitution, and other people don’t know better than the Chinese people about the human rights condition in China. It is the Chinese people who are in the best position to have say about China’s human right situation, so I would like to suggest to you that please don’t ask questions in such an irresponsible manner and we welcome goodwill suggestions but we reject groundless or unwarranted accusations
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Minister Wang Yi has traveled to Canada and shows his lack of worldly understanding with his outburst. It simply rubs me the wrong way. While his message is his opinion, the way he expresses himself is full of arrogance. This reflects very badly on China.
No country is perfect. Here in Canada at the G8 in 2010 our Federal, provincial and Toronto governments illegally detained and locked up over 1,000 private citizens that were simply in the area of the protest, many because they live and work there. One police officer was charged and served no time in jail for his illegal actions. This was a clear violation of human rights.
What happened to “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, 《入乡随俗》? You are in my country. Act like a guest and not like an arrogant Chinese politician.
It has been a couple of days, enough for the fire to die down a little, and for everyone to think a little more level headed. I still believe that Wang Yi’s outburst shows just how bad the human rights situation is in China today. He does not even recognize his and China’s own mistake, he is so out of touch. The term from the CBC, in a bad translation of chutzpa is 厚颜无耻 or hòuyánwúchǐ. This in Chinese means that the person does something, he is oblivious to the fact that he has made an grave error. He does not know or acknowledge he has made an error, but everyone else can clearly see this error. This more accurately describes Wang Yi. His arrogance and disdain for freedom of speech for Canada’s news agencies shows just how backward and how far China must go for freedom of speech and human rights to change. They have such a long way that they cannot even see the starting line.
