Thread: Picture of Chinese ambassador walking on backs of Kiribati locals sparks controversy

I'm sure that was a massive boost to the tiny-dicked chinky midget's ego.

Originally Posted by TheRealKW

Dr Katerina Teaiwa, who is associate professor at the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific, said the people are showing a sense of honour and hospitality by lying down.
“The Marakei people can welcome dignitaries any way they like, it’s well known they follow many of the customs of their land. Everyone should be less hysterical about this and more respectful towards the diversity of Pacific ways, islanders should have cultural self-determination,” she toldThe Guardian.
“Pacific peoples can work out themselves which customs need to be kept or reshaped for our times and which should be changed if violent, discriminatory, etc. I’m always impressed with how I-Kiribati continue to respect the spirits of abara – our lands – in spite of colonial rule.”

She says as she leeches off the Australia public purse and is ever so quick to condemn any slight, perceived or actual, especially by Caucasians and the ever-present 'colonialism' argument. Loads of them here in NZ as well.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I'm sure that was a massive boost to the tiny-dicked chinky midget's ego.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I'm sure that was a massive boost to the tiny-dicked chinky midget's ego.

How on earth can a diplomat possibly imagine a photograph of this would ever cast them in a positive light?!?!?!?

Just imagine the kerfuffle in the UK if word got back that the British Ambassador had been using brown people as a human carpet to stop him getting his feet dirty.

The mind well and truly boggles.

The Ambassador is a good ambassador for the Chinese Communist Party.

They really do need a good slap and putting back in their place.

Problem is, who is expected to give them that slap?

and . . .




Yup, the same - nice one, retard . . . oh, staying on topic?

Hmmm...

The Queen giving away money is the same as walking on people?



I guess.... If you were dropped on your head as a child it would make sense?

Originally Posted by panama hat

and . . .




Yup, the same - nice one, retard . . . oh, staying on topic?

Another pain in the arse.

Originally Posted by Plan B

Hmmm...

The Queen giving away money is the same as walking on people?



I guess.... If you were dropped on your head as a child it would make sense?

And clearly thick as pig shit to boot.

Photo of Chinese ambassador to Kiribati walking across backs of locals ‘misinterpreted’

Image criticised as emblematic of China’s rising influence in Pacific, but i-Kiribati say practice is part of traditional welcoming ceremony


Tue 18 Aug 2020 09.25 BST Last modified on Tue 18 Aug 2020 10.25 BST

A photo reportedly showing the Chinese ambassador to Kiribati walking on peoples’ backs as part of an island welcoming ceremony has ignited debate about outsider interpretation of local custom, as well as geopolitical argument about China’s rising influence across the Pacific.

The Chinese ambassador Tang Songgen visited the island of Marakei earlier this month.

A photograph taken of his arrival shows the ambassador walking along the backs of young men who had lain on the ground in front of him.

The ambassador is holding the hands of two women in traditional dress.

While some observers have argued the image is emblematic of China’s increasing influence in the archipelagic nation (the Kiribati government controversially and suddenly switched its diplomatic alliance from Taipei to Beijing last September), many i-Kiribati online have argued the practice is traditional and the photo has been wilfully misinterpreted.

The United States’ defence attache to five Pacific Islands including Kiribati, Commander Constantine Panayiotou, said online: “I simply cannot imagine any scenario in which walking on the backs of children is acceptable behavior by an ambassador of any country (or any adult for that matter!) Yet here we are thanks to China’s ambassador to Kiribati.”

Australian parliamentarian Dave Sharma, a former diplomat who served in Australia’s mission in Papua New Guinea, said he was surprised by the image.

“I’d be very surprised if an Australian representative participated in such a ceremony of this nature,” he told the ABC.

The head of Australia’s office for the Pacific said on Tuesday that the current high commissioner, Bruce Cowled, had not participated in any similar ceremony.

However, many i-Kiribati pointed out the practice is customary on many islands in the archipelago, and that the formal gesture of welcome had been taken out of context.

“This is our island’s show of respect for guests,” Adlih Ztuhcs said online. “If a foreigner marries into a family the men would lie down as a way of welcome. As for the women, the men will carry her on her shoulders to her destination. The same form of welcoming is afforded to all and is seen during weddings and first time visits. Let’s not manipulate facts to suit our stories.”

Dr Katerina Teaiwa, associate professor at the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific, said while symbolism could be potent, the people of Marakei appeared to be showing honour and hospitality, rather than any suggestion of subjugation.

“The Marakei people can welcome dignitaries any way they like, it’s well known they follow many of the customs of their land. Everyone should be less hysterical about this and more respectful towards the diversity of Pacific ways, islanders should have cultural self-determination.

“Pacific peoples can work out themselves which customs need to be kept or reshaped for our times and which should be changed if violent, discriminatory, etc. I’m always impressed with how i-Kiribati continue to respect the spirits of abara – our lands – in spite of colonial rule.”

Tang, appointed China’s ambassador to Kiribati in March, posted a statement online about his visit to Tabiteuea North, Tabiteuea South, and Marakei earlier this month.

“The embassy team was warmly welcomed and received in those islands by the old men, the island councils as well as the local people. We were greeted in traditional courtesies, invited to local maneaba [meeting house] ceremonies, where the whole team was overwhelmed by the unique culture and hospitality.”

The statement said “our primary goal is to have China-Kiribati relationship benefit more Kiribati people”.

A former British colony made up of three archipelagos sprawled over an ocean area the size of India, Kiribati has acquired significant strategic importance in the era of US-China rivalry in the Pacific.

US concerns were enlivened last year after Kiribati’s president Taneti Maamau made a sudden and controversial decision to switch Kiribati’s diplomatic recognition back to China after 17 years allied to Taiwan.

The US military has flagged concerns that Kiribati might allow China to build dual-use (military and civilian) facilities on its largest island, Christmas, just 2,000km south of Hawaii, and home of the US Pacific Fleet.

Kiribati is already developing fishing infrastructure on Christmas in partnership with a Chinese company, but Maamau told the Guardian this month “there was never any intention or plan by this government to allow China an accessory base in Kiritimati [Christmas]”.

Photo of Chinese ambassador to Kiribati walking across backs of locals ‘misinterpreted’ | World news | The Guardian

There are only two brainwashed and blinkered clowns on here who could possibly even begin to defend that picture.

You can guess the other one.

Edt: right on cue, here comes perky.

The tiny Pacific nation of Kiribati wants to raise its islands to save it from the rising sea

Canadian scientist Paul Kench is advising the Republic of Kiribati on ambitious project
CBC Radio · Posted: Aug 12, 2020

Kiribati is going under.

The tiny nation in the Pacific Ocean is comprised of low-lying islands and atolls — circular land masses with water in the middle — no more than two metres above sea level.

It's under threat by rising sea levels caused by climate change.

For years, its leaders have sounded the alarm — warning that, if nothing changes, the country will soon be unlivable — and its 115,000 citizens will be displaced.

Now Kiribati's president says he will undertake an ambitious plan to raise the islands.

Paul Kench, dean of science at Simon Fraser University, is helping with that scheme, advising the government on how to proceed. He spoke with As It Happens guest host Peter Armstrong from Burnaby, B.C. Here is part of their conversation.

---

To actually pull this off, can the government of Kiribati afford this? Do they have the money?

In their own budget, no. And that's why they really do need external assistance, both from a technical perspective, but also the financial resources to support such an ambitious project.

An offer has come from China, and there is a fear that accepting any kind of an offer from China would involve strings attached, that, you know, Beijing would want to, say, build military facilities on the islands. How how valid is that concern?

I think there must always be a concern when you're aligning yourself with a major power in that sense. One of the things that we need to recognize is that these atoll countries are extremely isolated. But as a consequence, they become strategically important for some of the major powers.

So America has aligned itself with a number of these small island nations, and China is doing the same. Military operations become first and foremost when these alliances get created.

But there's also a lot of other resources that these countries are interested in. In the Pacific, it's tuna fishing and access to other resources.

What's the responsibility countries like Canada, Australia, U.K. and the U.S?

They've always had a reasonably long and enduring relationship with the small island nations of the Pacific and, indeed, have contributed a lot of aid funding to support these countries. So I think there is a responsibility to maintain that level of support, despite the fact that there are other actors who are interested in being involved in the community.


China's President Xi Jinping, left, and Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau attend a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Jan. 6. China has offered financial assistance for the project, but will likely want some things in return. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

The tiny Pacific nation of Kiribati wants to raise its islands to save it from the rising sea | CBC Radio

Originally Posted by Klondyke

Photo of Chinese ambassador to Kiribati walking across backs of locals ‘misinterpreted’

Of course it was . . . disgusting pile of trash.

So it's a Kiribati tradition the Chinese ambassador was following?

Usually performed at weddings . . . so, who knows why they did it here . . . and it's odd considering the national anthem goes 'Stand Up, Kiribati'

Originally Posted by OhOh

...
Flights will soon be available for you all to visit Kiribati o rChina in person and let your feelings be announced at the appropriate place.

Will you restore my body to its original condition, afterwards?

In fairness to the loathsome chinky, it's no more crass than throwing paper towels at hurricane victims.

Damn Chinks.
They're everywhere.

Originally Posted by Neverna

So it's a Kiribati tradition the Chinese ambassador was following?

Either way, you just do the diplomatic thing and say "thanks, but no thanks," don't you?

Or at least most people with a shred of decency would anyway.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

Either way, you just do the diplomatic thing and say "thanks, but no thanks," don't you?

It seems he did the diplomatic thing and agreed with the hosts to follow that particular tradition. Clearly you have a problem with that but clearly the Chinese ambassador does not. Personally, I probably wouldn't have done it (with my Western baggage and all that) but I think it is great that there are different traditions around the world and I have no problem with the Chinese ambassador doing it. I'm sure as hell glad we are all not the same and follow some single way of life dictated by somebody from Australia, Europe or the USA.

Originally Posted by Neverna

It seems he did the diplomatic thing and agreed with the hosts to follow that particular tradition. Clearly you have a problem with that but clearly the Chinese ambassador does not. Personally, I probably wouldn't have done it (with my Western baggage and all that) but I think it is great that there are different traditions around the world and I have no problem with the Chinese ambassador doing it. I'm sure as hell glad we are all not the same and follow some single way of life dictated by somebody from Australia, Europe or the USA.

I have a problem with having people lie down for me while I walk over their backs to prevent me from muddying my shoes. It's not a question of western baggage, but obvious human decency, which some people clearly do not possess.

Originally Posted by HuangLao

Damn Chinks.
They're everywhere.

Yup, seems like they'd rather be anywhere else than China.

Originally Posted by Neverna

It seems he did the diplomatic thing and agreed with the hosts to follow that particular tradition. Clearly you have a problem with that but clearly the Chinese ambassador does not. Personally, I probably wouldn't have done it (with my Western baggage and all that) but I think it is great that there are different traditions around the world and I have no problem with the Chinese ambassador doing it. I'm sure as hell glad we are all not the same and follow some single way of life dictated by somebody from Australia, Europe or the USA.

Indeed.
The usual numbers/suspects will have missed the bigger picture.....or any picture, for that matter.
Relying on their instinctive nature and conditioning regarding traditional boogiemen.
As it's not of a forward accepted Occidental [especially of an English-speaking centric] manner - it must be wrong.
And if there really isn't an issue....we'll make something up that fits the cause.