“What kind of superpower has no toilets?”... China erupts over ‘epic’ gaffe by U.S. spokesperson

[Financial News] The United States and China are embroiled in an unexpected “toilet spat.” After the new White House spokesperson disparaged China by saying it did not even have proper toilets, China’s Foreign Ministry directly rebutted her remarks at an official briefing, sparking diplomatic repercussions.

On the 16th (local time), foreign media outlets including Bloomberg News reported that new White House spokesperson Katie Zachariah made the remarks in an interview with conservative outlet Real America’s Voice, recalling when she returned to the United States in 2016.
Spokesperson Zachariah praised President Donald Trump, saying, “He won the 2016 presidential election and put the United States on a path to becoming a great nation again,” before adding, “When I had just returned from China, I thought, ‘How can China be a candidate for the next superpower? It didn’t even have proper toilets.’”
After graduating from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2011, she moved to Beijing with her husband, who worked at a private equity firm, and worked at the major local law firm Zhong Lun until 2016. Recently, despite having failed the 2011 California bar exam, she falsely claimed that she had “passed the exam when she moved to China,” even though foreigners were not eligible to take it. As the controversy grew, she changed her story, saying, “I never passed it and didn’t think much of it,” and has faced criticism as a “fake lawyer.” Before the controversy over her lies had even died down, she was once again in hot water for disparaging another country.


The Chinese government made no secret of its displeasure at the spokesperson’s remarks belittling the infrastructure of a country that claims to be a global power. Asked about the comments at a regular briefing on the 16th, Mao Ning, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, retorted, “We welcome her visiting China more often when she has the opportunity, so she can see for herself.”
Foreign media outlets noted that the incident could become an unpredictable factor in U.S.-China relations, as the two countries compete intensely over global issues including trade, technology and Taiwan. Bloomberg News in particular pointed out that “the remarks run counter to President Trump’s unusually warm reception of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his efforts to build friendly ties.” The two leaders have already invited each other and held talks this year, and have promised to meet twice more by the end of the year as they strengthen their close ties. This has prompted concerns that the spokesperson’s unfiltered remarks could escalate into a diplomatic breach.


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