China Zacharia Toilet Controversy: Beijing Invites Her Back
The china zacharia toilet controversy deepened on Friday, when China’s foreign ministry answered White House press secretary Katie Zacharia’s claim that the country lacked “proper toilets” with a cool invitation to come back and see for herself.
Beijing spokeswoman Mao Ning was asked about the remarks at a regular press briefing on Friday. She replied that China welcomes Zacharia to “visit China more often when she has the opportunity,” delivering the line with a visible smile, according to wire reports from the briefing.
The comments came from a Thursday interview with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec, less than a week into Zacharia’s tenure as press secretary. She was recalling the perception around 2016 that the United States’ best days were over and China was on the rise — a view she said struck her as odd, she explained, because she had just returned from living there and thought the country did not even have proper sanitation facilities.
Beijing’s Cool Response
China’s measured reply landed as the latest headache of Zacharia’s first week on the job. The foreign ministry did not escalate or issue a formal complaint, instead opting for the gently pointed invitation that immediately went viral in international coverage.
The episode arrives amid a delicate moment in the bilateral relationship. Trump has frequently described his rapport with Chinese President Xi Jinping as strong, noting he has met the Chinese leader twice this year, even as trade, technology, and Taiwan tensions keep the broader relationship strained.
A Rocky First Week
The toilet remarks followed a bruising debut for the 41-year-old spokeswoman. Her first briefing was widely described as shaky: she struggled with basic questions and at one point mistakenly referred to her husband as the president.
She is also under scrutiny over her legal credentials. She told reporters earlier this week that she had passed a bar exam “when I moved to China” without naming the jurisdiction, then acknowledged in the Posobiec interview that she had sat the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011 and did not pass. Foreign nationals can work at Chinese law firms but cannot be licensed to practice law in China. The White House has defended her, with communications director Steven Cheung calling her uniquely qualified and whip-smart.
A Return Trip Could Come Soon
Zacharia may not have to wait long to take Beijing up on its invitation. She is expected to accompany Trump to China as early as next month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in Shenzhen, which would give her the chance to revisit the country she once worked in — she lists herself as a former associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013.
Source: South China Morning Post