KOTA KINABALU – Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has committed a diplomatic faux pas by calling his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi “elder brother”, said Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.
“The phrase used by Hishammuddin was not only inappropriate, but it clearly put Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a difficult and embarrassing position. Wang Yi’s body language said it all, and he quickly uttered the phrase ‘we are brothers’,” said the former foreign minister in a statement today.
As Malaysia’s top diplomat, Hishammuddin should be more circumspect and tactful in his choice of word or phrase. After all, as the saying goes, diplomacy is the first line of defence.”
Hishammuddin was heavily criticised when he said on Friday “you will always be my elder brother” in Mandarin to Wang at a joint press conference in China.
Yesterday, he tweeted that the phrase was said out of respect for Wang, his older and more senior counterpart, and that it was not a sign of Malaysia’s weakness and submission to China.
Instead of arguing and trying to justify the use of the phrase, said Anifah, Hishammuddin should just accept that he has committed a blunder.
“It was wrong enough to commit a diplomatic faux pas, but to argue and try to justify it clearly shows the real character of the person.” – The Vibes, April 4, 2021
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