Chinese scholars rip White House staff after name mix up

Chinese scholars slammed White House aides Monday after confusing the country Chinese President Xi Jinping leads with the formal name of the government on Taiwan that Beijing does not acknowledge.

The header of the transcript issued Saturday described Xi as president of the Republic of China. Xi leads the People’s Republic of China, which was founded in 1949 after the Republic of China forces fled to the island of Taiwan during a bloody civil war.

The mistake was in the transcript’s header only. China's Foreign Ministry said the White House apologized for the error, saying it was a technical mistake.

Beijing may dismiss the lapse as a technicality, but it is indicative of how the White House operates under President Donald Trump and is not conducive to China-U.S. relations, said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at China Renmin University.

"It is basic knowledge for those working in diplomacy, yet this isolated incident shows how incompetent the White House staff are, how casual they are, and how poorly coordinated they are,"

Last edited by Goose (7/10/2017 6:57 am)