China invites Katie Zacharia to visit again after she claims nation lacks ‘proper toilets’
By John Liu, CNN
(CNN) — Beijing has invited now-ousted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia to visit China more often after she claimed the country lacks “proper toilets” in a recent interview.
Zacharia, who was sacked by President Donald Trump less than a week into her job following an onslaught of scrutiny, came under fire for her lavatory remarks while speaking with far-right podcaster Jack Posobiec on Thursday.
“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 said, while discussing a perception around the lead-up to the US election in 2016 that the golden days of America were over, and that China was on the rise.
When asked about those remarks on Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning quipped: “She’s welcome to come and see China more often when she has the opportunity.”
On China’s popular X-like social media Weibo, many called Zacharia’s comments “foolish,” while others admitted some toilets a decade ago were lacking in standards.
Since reforming and opening up its economy in the late 1970s, China has barreled its way to becoming the world’s second-largest economy, with hundreds of millions lifted out of poverty and a nation transformed. But development inequality remains acute, especially between cities and more rural or remote areas.
Zacharia’s time in China was just one of her career highlights that triggered intense media scrutiny following her brief and turbulent appointment as White House press secretary.
A White House official previously told CNN that Zacharia had lived in China with her husband.
On her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia lists herself as having worked as an “associate” in the international practice team at one of the largest law firms in the country, Zhong Lun, in Beijing for nearly two years starting in 2011.
Zacharia had said in a statement she had “practiced international transactional law, with all the appropriate credentials.”
Only citizens can be licensed to practice law in China, according to the Ministry of Justice, so it’s not clear what kind of credential she might have obtained.
The-CNN-Wire
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