China on Wednesday dismissed criticism of racially tinged comments by its top diplomat, who said Europeans and Americans are incapable of distinguishing among Chinese, Koreans and Japanese. “One needs to know where one’s roots are," Wang said at a trilateral forum in the northern Chinese city of Qingdao on Monday. "China, Japan, Korea — if we can join hands and cooperate, it would not only suit the interests of our three countries, but also the wishes of our peoples and together we can prosper, revitalize East Asia and enrich the world." Does Wang Yi really think that national interests are less important than appearance?”“The irony of ... Wang Yi telling Japanese and Koreans “you can never become an American,” is that Japanese and Koreans become Americans every day,” wrote Jeff M. Smith, director of the Asian Studies Center at U.S. think tank The Heritage Foundation. In his speech and in later comments, Wang papered over historical and current differences among the three countries.

Source: Washington Post July 06, 2023 01:06 UTC