China tells Trump’s press secretary to visit more often after ‘proper toilets’ jibe

In the wake of her comments about China lacking "proper toilets," White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia has been invited by China's foreign ministry to visit the country more frequently.

The invitation follows Zacharia's controversial remarks during an interview, where she questioned China's global standing and shared personal experiences from her time living in the country.

Her statements have added complexity to the already strained U.S.-China relations, amidst ongoing issues such as trade and technology rivalry.

Zacharia, who has faced scrutiny for her legal credentials, is set to visit China next month.

BEIJING, Oct 16 — Beijing told the White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia today to visit China “more often”, after she said the country lacked “proper toilets” less than a week into her new post.

After years of intense rivalry between the United States and China over globally challenging issues from trade and technology to Taiwan and human rights, the US president’s new spokesperson took the two sides’ relationship to uncharted territory.

Zacharia—who previously lived in China and is due to visit next month—recalled in an interview the perception in 2016 that China would soon overtake the United States.

“I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, ‘How is China the next country on the horizon? They don’t even have proper toilets,” she told right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec.

In response, China’s foreign ministry suggested she may want to make another trip to the country.

“We welcome her to visit China more often when she has the opportunity,” spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters, fighting back a smile.

Trump has often spoken about his “great relationship” with China’s President Xi Jinping, who he has met twice this year, though ties remain strained.

Zacharia’s remarks come just days after what many considered a somewhat questionable debut in front of the White House press corp in which she appeared to be unable to answer basic questions and at one point referred to her husband as the president.

The 41-year-old is already under scrutiny over her legal credentials, after giving an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practising law in the United States.

The self-described lawyer lists herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit. She also says she previously worked at a law firm in Beijing.

Asked about her legal background on Thursday, she said she had registered to take the bar exam but was then “distracted and overwhelmed” by plans to move with her husband to China.

Zacharia said she did not retake the bar exam upon returning to the United States due to the birth of her first child. — AFP pic

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在凯蒂·扎卡里亚发表了关于中国缺乏“像样厕所”的言论之后，中国外交部邀请这位白宫新闻秘书更频繁地访问中国。

此前，扎卡里亚在一次采访中发表了引发争议的言论，质疑中国的全球地位，并分享了她在中国生活期间的个人经历。

在贸易和技术竞争等问题持续存在的情况下，她的言论使本已紧张的美中关系更加复杂化。

扎卡里亚的法律资质曾受到质疑，她将于下个月访问中国。

北京，10 月 16 日——白宫新闻秘书凯蒂·扎卡里亚上任不到一周就表示中国缺乏“像样的厕所”，北京方面今天告诉她应该“更频繁地”访问中国。

多年来，美国和中国在贸易、科技、台湾和人权等全球性挑战性问题上展开了激烈的竞争，而美国总统的新发言人将两国关系带入了未知领域。

扎卡里亚（他之前在中国生活过，下个月将再次访问中国）在一次采访中回忆起 2016 年人们普遍认为中国很快就会超越美国。

“我清楚地记得当时的情景，我刚从中国回来，心想，‘中国怎么会是下一个要去的国家？他们连像样的厕所都没有，’”她告诉右翼网红杰克·波索比克。

对此，中国外交部表示，她或许可以再次访问中国。

“我们欢迎她有机会时多来中国访问，”发言人毛宁强忍着笑意对记者说。

特朗普经常谈到他与中国国家主席习近平的“良好关系”，尽管两国关系仍然紧张，但他今年已经与习近平会面两次。

扎卡里亚发表这番言论的几天前，她在白宫记者团面前的首次亮相被许多人认为有些令人质疑，她似乎无法回答基本问题，并且一度称她的丈夫为总统。

这位 41 岁的女子因其法律资质已受到审查，因为她对在哪里通过了律师资格考试（这是在美国执业的先决条件）给出了含糊其辞的回答。

这位自称律师的女子表示，她是加州一家保守派非营利组织的法律总顾问。她还说，她之前曾在北京一家律师事务所工作。

周四，当被问及她的法律背景时，她说她已经报名参加律师资格考试，但后来因为计划和丈夫一起搬到中国而“分心和不知所措”。

扎卡里亚表示，她回到美国后没有重考律师资格考试，因为她生了第一个孩子。——法新社图片

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