US embassy apologizes after student visa post backfires
A screenshot of the video posted by the visa section of the US embassy in China shows a puppy trying to climb over a safety gate.
The US Embassy in Beijing has apologized after a social media post meant to herald the lifting of some pandemic barriers between the two countries instead set off a fierce backlash after it was seen as likening Chinese students to dogs, US media reported yesterday.
Former US President Donald Trump had in January last year barred nearly all non-US citizens who were in China from entering the United States after the coronavirus outbreak.
On the Twitter-like Weibo service on Wednesday, the visa section of the US embassy in China asked students what they were waiting for after the Biden administration eased restrictions.
"Spring has come and the flowers are in bloom. Are you like this dog who can't wait to go out and play?" said the post in Chinese, which was accompanied by a video of an excited puppy trying to climb over a safety gate.
The post drew an angry backlash from some Weibo users, however, who felt the comparison was inappropriate, and was later deleted.
"Is this American humor? I believe they did it on purpose!" one user wrote.
"Dogs in American culture basically have positive meanings, but in Chinese culture and idioms, they are mostly negative," wrote another user. Others quipped that the students' "master" was now calling them back to the United States.
"The social media post in question was meant to be lighthearted and humorous. We took it down immediately when we saw it was not received in the spirit we intended,” said an embassy spokesperson, reported by NBC News.
“We have the utmost respect for all Chinese people, certainly including Chinese students,” the spokesperson added. “We apologize if anyone was offended. That was certainly not our intention,” the report said.
China is the largest source of international students in the US.
Around 372,000 Chinese accounted for 35 percent of international students in the 2019-20 school year, according to the International Education Exchange, nearly twice as many as the second-highest, students from India.
