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U.S. ambassador to Japan takes spotlight with snarky China tweets

41 Comments
By Humeyra Pamuk, Trevor Hunnicutt and Tim Kelly

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© Thomson Reuters 2023.

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41 Comments
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Former mayor of Chicago...

3 ( +9 / -6 )

No tweeting.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Aren’t tweets called posts now?

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Rahm is the Anthony Weiner of diplomats.

6 ( +14 / -8 )

Some light hearted banter about Chinese officials going missing with no explanations, seemingly regularly of late. Nothing wrong with that. China knows these things will gain attention and people will talk about it. some in jest and others seriously. It would all have been avoided with normal communications about changes.

2 ( +13 / -11 )

KumagaijinToday 05:17 pm JST

Rahm is the Anthony Weiner of diplomats.

Not really. Anthony Weiner went out because too much him got exposed, shall we say. Rahm went out because he covered up for the government like he was arguable supposed to as a politician.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

*arguably

5 ( +8 / -3 )

fxgaiToday  05:15 pm JST

Aren’t tweets called posts now?

Actually not. They are called X now formerly known as Tweets.

Not being mean or offensive so hope this is an ok response.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Cringe. Asians; Japanese, Chinese, Korean show respect and follow protocol. And then there's this guy.

-7 ( +8 / -15 )

Another utter fraud

I couldn't agree more.

-16 ( +9 / -25 )

bass4funk

   Another utter fraud

> I couldn't agree more.

When and if your team has the presidency they can select the ambassadors.

12 ( +18 / -6 )

Still, prominent Chinese officials do have a tendency to disappear. If Russian (or wherever Russian arms can reach), they'd be found dead in bed with some sort of nasty chemical. In China, they simply vanish.

17 ( +19 / -2 )

If China is upset, they should quite disappearing people.

11 ( +15 / -4 )

Rahm's snark with an unkosher twist passes for diplomatic in Chicago, not in Asia.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

Aside from the sarcasm, which is nothing new in politics, he's on point.

Where are Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the Rocket Force commanders, and now Defense Minister Li Shangfu?

Typical partisan politics when the more pertinent question is what happened to all these high level Chinese politicians and military leaders.

12 ( +15 / -3 )

When and if your team has the presidency they can select the ambassadors.

What does that have to do with me agreeing with what Reginald said? I have to like the guy, or his abysmal record as former Chief of staff or former mayor of Chicago?? Sorry, no, I don’t and yes, I stand by my comment 100%.

-13 ( +3 / -16 )

It's all speculations, we have NO IDEA where these people are or even what goes on in China, anything other than that is just BS.

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

Anytime you can poke China in the eye, why not? I’m all for it regardless who does it.

11 ( +14 / -3 )

Meaning it would lead to a war? Rahm may have given PRC an opportunity to rebuke US, as usual, for meddling its internal affair and to claim superiority of governance under the Chinese communist party alone. But so what? Since most Japanese are seriously concerned about PRC's behavior in many respects, Rahm did an excellent job as the ambassador to Japan to be critical of PRC and to share his sentiments with Japanese public.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

"I have to like the guy, or his abysmal record as former Chief of staff or former mayor of Chicago??"

Why do you have to 'like the guy'?

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

Why do you have to 'like the guy'?

I don’t.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

Though common on social media, pointed sarcasm is almost unheard of in the buttoned-down world of diplomacy

Well, that counts me out.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Hey CCP, learn from your fellow thugs the Russians, people fall out of the window all the time, no one bat an eye.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Emmanuel seems very sceptical about Communist China - and all totalitarian regimes. He is not shy to speak out against them.

Fans of totalitarian, fascist regimes like Russia and China seem to hate Emmanuel.

Ignore these morons.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

I cringe every time I read an official Chinese statement.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Any politician or diplomat from a democratic nation who antagonizes and upsets Communist China is doing a great job.

Keep it up, Emmanuel. Supporters of democracy are on your side.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Emanuel's posts have raised questions about whether they reflect the views of the administration of Joe Biden

They may not reflect the official diplomatic line but they undoubtedly voice the questions in the minds of the reading public across the globe.

If the CCP don’t like people commenting on their actions, stop carrying out actions worthy of criticism. But the CCP Mafia don’t actually care what anybody thinks and their fake umbrage is precisely that, fake, pretend, manufactured and should be treated with the polite distain it deserves.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Anyone in a position to draw widespread attention to China’s abuses should be applauded.

Politicians, actors, athletes and musicians get a lot of flak for being outspoken but it’s better than the alternatives of saying nothing or cozying up to them for self profit.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

This ambassador must be relieved of his function in Japan. He is supposed to be neutral and assist japans to limit confrontational diplomacy with Beijin. Clearly a mad man.

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

Who's going to win this unemployment race? China's youth or Xi's cabinet?" Emanuel wrote.

Politics and affiliations aside. Like the guy already! Booyaka! One thing our foes cannot abide is comedy! Blood will boil!

Dark humor, like food, not everyone gets it!

Joseph Stalin

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Aren’t tweets called posts now?

Actually not. They are called X now formerly known as Tweets.

It's rather sad that conversations such as this are taking place.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Because ambassadors are (or at least should be) part of the diplomatic corp whose job it is to maintain peace. Blinken needs to get in a room with this guy and tell him to stay in his lane.

Anytime you can poke China in the eye, why not

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

deanzaZZRSep. 16 06:00 pm JST

Cringe. Asians; Japanese, Chinese, Korean show respect and follow protocol. And then there's this guy.

By giving non-answers and refusing to meet with other countries? Yeah, no thanks.

Because ambassadors are (or at least should be) part of the diplomatic corp whose job it is to maintain peace. Blinken needs to get in a room with this guy and tell him to stay in his lane.

Emanuel gave some hilarious tweaks to a thug regime. There is no starting a war about it for sane countries.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

…but decided not to seek re-election in 2019 following controversy over his decision not to release footage of the shooting of a Black teen, Laquan McDonald.

Do not forget corruption. Another reason he was chased out of the state.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Another utter fraud

spot on!

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Because ambassadors are (or at least should be) part of the diplomatic corp whose job it is to maintain peace. Blinken needs to get in a room with this guy and tell him to stay in his lane.

They are both political appointees of the same President. It would be up to the US President to counsel Mr. Emanuel if he chooses to do so. It would probably not be a good thing for one Presidential appointee to try to pull rank over another. It would not lead to a productive result, using my best diplomatic language (:

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This ambassador must be relieved of his function in Japan. He is supposed to be neutral and assist japans to limit confrontational diplomacy with Beijin. Clearly a mad man.

Risible nonsense. A US Ambassador represents the interests of the US to the host nation. Do you think the US Ambassador to China is there to assist the Chinese? Do you think the US Ambassador to Russia is there to assist the Russians? That is very much not the case. Ambassadors are often called upon by the government they represent to criticize the government of the nation they are posted to and perhaps the host nation's allies as well depending on the situation. An Ambassador represents the views of the nation they come from. Period. Full stop.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

No more X-ing without an appropriate X-ing approval by an X-ing reviewer.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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